GLOUCESTER— Gloucester County has announced the impending release of a Daffodil Festival documentary, chronicling the behind-the-scenes efforts of the dedicated team that puts this event together for the public every year.
“Gloucester Daffodil Festival: The Work Behind the Blooms” will premiere on the County’s social media and cable platforms on Wednesday, March 25, leading up to the 40th anniversary festival on March 28 and 29.
The 50-minute special program follows Hunter LeClair (Tourism, Marketing and Events Manager), Susan Ammons (Tourism and Marketing Supervisor) and Deborah Wesolowski (Daffodil Festival Coordinator) as they talk about the yearlong planning process behind this annual event.
“The Festival is Main Street, it is Gloucester, it is the businesses and the marquee signs, it’s the daffodils in the median down the center of the county,” LeClair says. “It really reminds you that the festival is here to bring everyone together. It’s about everyone coming together, and how many different players and partners have a role.”
Everything about the festival, from the vendors to the event maps, and from the traffic detours to the entertainment, must be carefully planned and reviewed. Each year, there are new features; for example, in 2026, the team will be bringing back the Daffodil Dash 5K.
“The Daffodil Festival is unique in the sense that there’s something for everyone, it is extremely family-friendly, it is our biggest event,” Ammons says. “We’re always going to want things to be different, change it up a little bit; that way, when people come to visit, it’s not the same festival every single year. There’s always something new and exciting to do.”
Beyond the hard work of the Parks, Recreation & Tourism team, the documentary highlights the efforts of the many departments, agencies and volunteers who come together to offer this celebration. There are hundreds of people involved with offering such a large event, and each one has a critical role to play.
“A lot of people don’t understand what goes on behind the curtain of any event, but especially a festival that is a day and a half, and welcomes approximately 25,000 guests,” says Wesolowski. “It’s a great deal of work, but so worth it. I feel like we are this well-oiled machine, that once we say ‘go,’we go.”
The documentary was produced entirely in-house by the Community Engagement & Public Information team. Look for it on the Daffodil Festival’s official Facebook page, the Gloucester County Virginia YouTube page, and Cox Cable channels 46, 47 and 48.
More information on the Daffodil Festival can be found by visiting daffodilfestivalva.org.