Bloomin’ Festival returns to St. Bernard this weekend

Published 5:56 pm Friday, April 16, 2021

By Benjamin Bullard

Lydia Walker helps set up the vendor booth Friday for 3rd Generation Creation, an Atlanta-area maker of crocheted mascots and memorabilia whose visit this year to the 37th annual Bloomin’ Festival will be its first. The campus at St. Bernard Abbey was abuzz with activity late Friday as vendors and volunteers staked out their areas ahead of today’s start for the annual arts & crafts event.

A year’s worth of pent-up cabin fever will finally get some much-needed outdoor release this weekend, as the 37th annual Bloomin’ Festival returns to the campus at St. Bernard Abbey.

After taking a year off for the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival is back today and Sunday with a full lineup of arts and crafts vendors, musicians, sweet treats, kids’ activities, and more. Gates open both days at 9 a.m. and close at 5 p.m., with a voluntary $5 donation asked as the price of entry.

Skies are forecast to remain mostly rain-free through the weekend, with temperatures rising only into the mid-60s on both Saturday and Sunday. That’s a boon for guests as well as the festival’s unique slate of vendors — some of whom travel hundreds of miles for a spot at one of the region’s biggest springtime juried arts festivals.

The annual event typically attracts as many as 25,000 guests over its two-day run, with this year’s festival featuring a diverse mix of craftspeople and makers including blacksmiths, jewelers, stained glass crafters, wood turners, quilters, a sword smith, and more. Admission to the adjacent Ave Maria Grotto will be half price for guests through the weekend, and parking will be free. Pets at the Bloomin’ Festival aren’t allowed.

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