Baltimore Herb Festival

05/25/2026

THANK YOU, PLANT & HERB FRIENDS! 🌿☔️

Despite the rain, chilly temperatures, and muddy shoes, approximately 850 people came out to support the 2026 Baltimore Herb Festival this past Saturday — and that is truly incredible.

While attendance was understandably down from last year’s beautiful-weather turnout of approximately 1,500 attendees, this year’s festival was as successful as it could possibly be under the conditions. In fact, we honestly can’t remember the last time Herb Fest had such cold and rainy weather! We’ve already put in a request with Mother Nature for sunshine next year. 🌞

We want to sincerely thank:
🌿 Our dedicated volunteers
🌿 City workers and park staff
🌿 Vendors and exhibitors
🌿 Food trucks and lecturers
🌿 WJZ-TV for covering the event
🌿 Local publications, community pages, and everyone who shared and promoted the festival

Your support absolutely helped bring out many first-time visitors who may not have discovered the Baltimore Herb Festival otherwise. You all brought some sunshine to a rainy day.

As we begin planning for next year, we’re always looking for people who would like to help the festival continue to grow throughout the year. We’d especially love to connect with:

🌱 Volunteers interested in helping organize the event
🌱 People who enjoy social media and community outreach
🌱 Local graphic designers and creative minds
🌱 Writers interested in plant, garden, herbal, and urban nature topics
🌱 Folks who can help us keep track of and share relevant local festivals, gardening events, workshops, and community happenings throughout the year

If you’d like to get involved, collaborate, contribute ideas, volunteer, share photos to be posted, or help support the festival throughout the year, please reach out to us at:

📧 [email protected]

And if you missed the festival coverage from WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore, you can watch it here:

https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/video/the-baltimore-herb-festival-returns-to-leakin-park-for-its-37th-year/

Thank you again for supporting one of Baltimore’s longest-running spring traditions. We truly couldn’t do it without this community. 🌿

The Baltimore Herb Festival returns to Leakin Park for its 37th year.

05/20/2026

Because we rent the park and pay for all services for May 23rd, Baltimore Herb Festival is a rain or shine event! 🌿☔️

A little drizzle never stopped Baltimore from showing up for a good time. Dust off your rain boots, grab your umbrella, and maybe do your best “no rain” dance between now and festival day. We’ll be there either way, herbs and all! 🌱

05/19/2026

🍃🌻🌺🌸🍃 LECTURE SCHEDULE 🍃🌻🌺🌸🍃

Lectures in the Celeste Winans Chapel

11 a.m. Container Gardening with GIEI Baltimore City

12 p.m. Special Guest Steve Walk - History of the Winans Family

1 p.m. The Need of Baltimoreans to Grow Hyper-accumulators

2 p.m. Friends of Gwynns Falls Leakin Park

05/17/2026

🌿 LAST CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS 🌿

We are less than ONE WEEK away from the Baltimore Herb Festival and still have a few volunteer spots open — including a fun late addition for a local photographer! 📸

We would LOVE to collaborate with someone who enjoys capturing:
🌿 plants
🌿 community
🌿 live music
🌿 local vendors
🌿 happy people enjoying the park
🌿 and the overall spirit of Herb Fest day.

We don’t need anything fancy or overly formal — no photo booth setups or professional studio equipment required. Just someone with a camera and a creative eye who can help capture the essence of the festival while enjoying the day with us.

In exchange for a few hours of volunteer service, we’ll provide:
✨ Free festival admission for you + your family
✨ A free Baltimore Herb Festival t-shirt
✨ Fresh air, good vibes, and local community fun

We still have a few additional volunteer spots available throughout the day as well!

📍 Leakin Park
1920 Eagle Drive
Baltimore, MD 21207

🗓 Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ Festival Hours: 9:30 AM – 3:00 PM

Volunteer Sign-Up:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044BA9A92AA6FDC07-63410133-volunteers

We can’t wait to see everyone on Saturday! 🌿💚

05/15/2026

2026 Baltimore Herb Festival Vendors

We’re excited to welcome an amazing variety of plant growers, artists, herbalists, makers, nonprofits, and local small businesses to this year’s festival!

36+ vendors participating this year

• Avant~Garden Pottery
• Baskit, don’t bag it
• Beeming Heart Botanicals
• Blackthorn Lavender
• Blaylock’s & Son Farm
• B’more Flower Farm
• Bmore Vintage
• Buppert’s Farm
• Connies Heirloom Tomatoes
• Cymron Cottage
• Glint of a Cowgirl Jewelry
• Herban Avenues
• Hot Glass Burns
• Howard EcoWorks
• I See Spain
• Idle Hand Studio
• Kindness Tree Movement
• Kreative by Kathryn
• LaVie Natural
• Lesley’s Garden
• Locust Point Greenhouse
• Lucky Bat Paper Co.
• Max Degree°
• McDaniel Honey Farm
• Meadowsweet Native Plant Farm
• Off the Beaten Path Nursery
• Paint 4 The People
• Potter’s Guild of Baltimore
• Richfield Farms
• Sacred Tree Art Studio
• Sandy’s Medicinals LLC
• Sharp’s at Waterford Farm
• Sweet Tea & Cornbread
• The Cottage of Herbs
• Thomas’ Green Farm
• Tomatoes Etc. Produce and Herb Farm

05/11/2026

FOOD & DRINK LINEUP

🔥 Koco Korean Fusion Food Truck — (Facebook)
🍕 San Valentino Pizza — sanvalentinopizza
🦀 Tasty Maryland Food Truck — TastyMaryland
☕ Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck — travelintomscoffeecatonsville
❄️ Kona Ice of Catonsville — konaiceofcatonsville
🍋 Plus our longtime HerbFest favorite: The Lemonade Lady 💛

05/04/2026

🌿 Baltimore Herb Festival – FAQ 🌿

Thinking about coming out on May 23rd? Here are some quick answers to common questions:

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🎟️ Admission
• $8 per person
• Kids 12 & under are FREE
• Proceeds support the care, maintenance, and restoration of the historic 1859 Winans Chapel, while also promoting the use and cultivation of herbs 🌿

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💳 How do I pay?
• Most vendors accept cash, credit, and/or digital payments
• Payment methods vary by vendor
• Festival admission:
• Cash
• QR code (digital)
• NEW: Credit cards (internet permitting)

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🎶 What’s there to do?
• Live music
• Food trucks
• Plant + garden vendors
• Unique exhibitors (varies each year!)
• 🚂 CALS trains (Chesapeake & Allegheny Live Steamers) will be operating live steam trains throughout the day—always a hit with the kiddos!

Typical favorites include:
🌱 Baltimore City Forestry
🌱 Master Gardeners (don’t miss the pinch & smell tent!)
🌱 Cactus & Succulent Society
🌱 Carrie Murray Nature Center
🌱 Maryland DNR Forestry Service
…and more!

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🐶 Can I bring my dog?
Yes! Well-behaved dogs are welcome 🐾
👉 Must be on a leash (per Baltimore City regulations)

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🚻 Bathrooms?
Yes—stylish porta-potties 😄
(with handwashing stations throughout the park)

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🚗 Parking
• Free parking available in the field near Leakin Park
• Staff will help direct you
• Limited ADA parking near the tennis courts (fills quickly)

👉 Need assistance? Let a staff member know—we’re all volunteers and will do our best!

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🛒 Pro tip for first-timers:
Bring a wagon, cart, or reusable bags
Trust us… you’ll find more plants than you planned 🌿😄

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🌿 First time visiting?
Welcome! We’re so glad you’re here. Come explore, learn, shop, and enjoy a beautiful day in the park.

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Have more questions? Drop them in the comments 👇

04/30/2026

🌿 Mark your calendars! 🌿

May 23, 2026 — the Baltimore Herb Festival is back!

Join us for a day of plants, vendors, fresh air, and great community vibes at Leakin Park 🌱

🎟️ Tickets are available now on Eventbrite

👉 Get your tickets:
• Through the link in this post

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/baltimore-herb-festival-2026-herb-of-the-year-turmeric-tickets-1988245092594?aff=ebemoffollowpublishemail&ref=eemail&utm_campaign=following_published_event&utm_content=follow_notification&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eventbrite

• Under the event details
• Or in our profile links

Tickets will also be available the day of the event.

💵 Payment options:
• Cash
• QR code (digital payment)
• NEW this year: Credit cards (pending internet connection)

Come shop, explore, and enjoy a beautiful day in the park—we hope to see you there! 🌿

04/28/2026

🌿 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED 🌿

Our Baltimore Herb Festival volunteer slots are almost full (you all are amazing 💚), but we still have a few spots available throughout the day—including our end-of-day wrap-up crew.

Give us 2 hours and you’ll get:
✨ FREE admission
✨ FREE t-shirt
✨ Fresh air + good vibes
✨ A fun day with awesome people

📚 Need student community service hours?
We’re happy to provide documentation!

🧹 A quick note on cleanup crew:
This shift helps bring the whole event full circle—wrapping up a great day (and yes, maybe folding a table or two 😄). It’s a small window of time that makes a big impact.

If you’ve been thinking about volunteering, now’s a great time to grab one of the remaining spots:

👉 https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044BA9A92AA6FDC07-63410133-volunteers #/

Bring a friend, meet new people, and be part of a great community day 🌿

02/27/2026

🌿 Herb of the Year 2026: Turmeric🌿

We’re celebrating turmeric — the golden spice that has colored kitchens, textiles, and traditions for thousands of years.

Most of us know turmeric as the ingredient that gives curry its warm, earthy flavor and brilliant yellow hue. That color comes from curcumin, a natural compound widely studied for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

But here are a few things you may not know:

• Turmeric is a rhizome, related to ginger, growing underground beneath lush tropical foliage.
• Its name comes from Latin meaning “meritorious earth.”
• It has long been used as a natural dye for fabrics and ceremonial garments.
• In several cultures, turmeric plays a role in wedding and blessing rituals as a symbol of protection and prosperity.
• Fresh turmeric leaves are used in traditional cooking to wrap and infuse dishes with subtle flavor.

For the herbal enthusiasts: combining turmeric with black pepper increases the absorption of its beneficial compounds.

From ancient traditions to modern kitchens, turmeric continues to inspire growers, cooks, and herbalists alike.

We’d love to hear from you — share your unique uses or fun facts about turmeric in the comments! 🌱