The iconic blooms of Coral Gables will take center stage Sunday, June 8, as the annual Royal Poinciana Fiesta culminates with a community-wide celebration and reception at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. The event, hosted in the Garden House from 6 to 9 p.m., is free and open to the public and promises a festive evening of trolley tours, awards, and shared appreciation for South Florida’s signature flowering tree.
Now in its 88th year, the Royal Poinciana Fiesta has long served as both a seasonal rite and civic tradition, organized by the Tropical Flowering Tree Society to celebrate the vivid orange-red petals that brighten the region each June. What began as a small observance in 1937 has grown into a multi-day event honoring horticulture, heritage, and community engagement.
The Sunday evening finale blends pageantry and participation in equal measure. Guests are invited to gather at Fairchild’s Garden House—entering through the South Entrance on Old Cutler Road, the garden’s original gateway—for an evening of relaxed elegance and civic pride.
At 6 p.m., complimentary trolley tours will begin circling the 83-acre landscape, offering views of the garden’s flowering trees at peak bloom. Shortly after, beginning at 7 p.m., refreshments will be served—including the return of the event’s signature Royal Poinciana Punch—and guests will have the opportunity to browse limited-edition Royal Poinciana Fiesta posters, which will be available for purchase.
The evening’s formal program begins at 7:30 p.m. with the presentation of two annual honors: the Royal Poinciana Fiesta Queen and Court scholarship recipients, and the Larry Schokman Book Award, named for Fairchild’s longtime curator and horticultural ambassador. The awards celebrate student achievement, environmental stewardship, and literary contributions to botanical education. As has become tradition, the program will conclude with slices of poinciana-themed cake served to all attendees.
This year’s event also features a visual arts highlight: a curated exhibition of works by the Florida Highwaymen, a loosely associated group of African American painters who found commercial success in the mid-20th century through vivid landscapes of tropical flora. The pieces on view come from the collection of Mark Lerner, also known as “The Highwaymen Collector,” and offer a striking counterpoint to the live blooms just outside.
Though the event is free, organizers encourage attendees to bring a dish to share or consider making a donation. New memberships in the Tropical Flowering Tree Society are also welcome. As always, the evening’s tone blends the formal and the familiar, with flip-flops as welcome as floral prints, and potluck dishes joining the punch bowl.
For longtime residents, the Royal Poinciana Fiesta remains one of Coral Gables’ most cherished seasonal observances—a celebration not just of a tree, but of a certain civic aesthetic. The Royal Poinciana has become a kind of living emblem for the city, its fiery canopy appearing in postcards, paintings, and memory alike.
“The poinciana is more than a tree,” one longtime Fiesta attendee once remarked. “It’s a signal that summer has arrived and that the Gables is blooming again.”
With its mix of horticulture, heritage, and hospitality, the Fiesta brings together neighbors, naturalists, artists, and students to honor a legacy that continues to flower.
If You Go
What: Royal Poinciana Fiesta Celebration Party and Reception
When: Sunday, June 8, 2025, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Where: Garden House at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables (South Entrance)
Admission: Free and open to the public. Guests are asked to bring a dish to share or make a donation.
Details: Trolley tours begin at 6 p.m.; refreshments served at 7 p.m.; awards program begins at 7:30 p.m. Limited edition Fiesta posters available for purchase. Highwaymen art on display.
More Info: tfts.org or fairchildgarden.org
