Texas Rose Festival, Rose Parade and Rose Museum
 Molly Louise Berry, 2022 Texas Rose Festival Queen |
Welcome to Tyler ...
"The Rose Capital of America”!
The rose industry has been a major industry in the Tyler area for decades. Located adjacent to the famous Tyler Rose Garden is the Tyler Rose Museum, which showcases and documents the history of the annual Texas Rose Festival.
2023 Texas Rose Festival
The 90th Texas Rose Festival will be held in Tyler on October 19-22, 2023 in Tyler.
The 2023 Festival Queen and theme were announced on January 5, 2023 at the Festival's Winter Gala at the Willow Brook Country Club. Laura Elaine Bryan will be the 90th Rose Queen, and this year's theme will be "The Story of Film".
2022 Texas Rose Festival
The 89th Texas Rose Festival was held on October 13-16, 2022 in Tyler.
Molly Louise Berry carried on her family’s legacy as the 89th Queen of the 2022 Texas Rose Festival. Olivia Bristol Young was named the Princess of the Rose Festival and Hadley Hills Brewer was announced as the Duchess of the Rose Growers.
The theme of the 2022 Rose Festival was "Empires of Enchantment".
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2023 Texas Rose Festival Schedule of Major Events
For detailed information about events, schedules, locations, and tickets, we recommend a visit to the official website of the Texas Rose Festival at or |
 Float in the 2019 Texas Rose Parade in Tyler |
The 2019 Texas Rose Festival Court at the Queen's Coronation at the Cowan Center in Tyler
Photo op at the Tyler Rose Garden with the Texas Rose Queen and her court (Photo by Travel Texas)
Texas Rose Festival Parade
 A Texas Rose Queen |
The parade assembles at Front Street and Glenwood Boulevard, and then follows a route west on Front Street, through the East Texas State Fairgrounds and ending inside Rose Stadium.
There is always free parade viewing along the route, and reserved seats can be purchased for the Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium.
The annual parade features more than 100 entries including custom floats for the Queen and her court.
It also includes marching bands, walking groups, drill teams, mounted horse clubs, and vintage cars.
The parade is typically televised and sponsored by KETK - NBC56.
In the earlier years of the parade, rose growers supplied hundreds of dozens of rose blooms, and garden clubs worked through the night before the parade to decorate floats using the roses.
Today, rose growers still offer blooms and volunteers still help decorate floats with live roses.
Texas Rose Festival History
The festival is a celebration of the rose industry that thrives in Tyler. Seven Tyler-area companies process and distribute several million roses each year, making the city deserving of its “Rose Capital” title.
About 75% of all roses in the country are handled in Tyler.
The first Tyler Rose Festival was organized by Tyler Garden Club members, local rose growers and the Chamber of Commerce in October 1933 to showcase the importance of the rose industry to Tyler.
The theme of the event was "Festival Fairyland", and included a parade, rose queen's coronation and a rose show.
The first festival was a success, and the decision was made to continue the event, and the 1934 festival had as its theme "A Garden in Venice".
The annual event was renamed the Texas Rose Festival during the Texas Centennial in 1936.
Tyler Rose Museum
 The Tyler Rose Museum |
Located on the grounds of the Tyler Rose Garden, and across the street from the Harvey Convention Center, is the 7,500 sqft Tyler Rose Museum.
The museum is run by a nonprofit organization operated with private donations. Its purpose is to showcase the rich history and tradition of Tyler, the rose industry and the Rose Festival.
Opened in 1992, it been visited by over 300,000 people, and is a major tourist attraction in Tyler. The Rose Museum tells the story of the hardships and successes of the rose-growing industry, and the elegance and tradition of the Rose Festival.
The museum features a large collection of photographs, videos, audio, music, newspaper clippings, rose memorabilia, and of course the jeweled festival costumes, which are changed quarterly.
A gift shop is located adjacent to the museum. Stairs and an elevator for the handicapped take visitors down one level to the Tyler Rose Garden.
The museum is located at 420 Rose Park Drive. For details and hours, call the museum at 903.597.3130. A small entrance fee is required.
Map to the Tyler Rose Museum (Courtesy of Google Maps)
Tyler Municipal Rose Garden
 All-America Rose selections in the Tyler Texas Rose Garden |
Established in 1952, the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is the nation's largest rose garden, spanning 14 acres. The gardens include over 38,000 rose bushes and over 600 different varieties, as well as reflecting pools, walkways and fountains.
The Rose Garden is open from dawn until dark, seven days a week. Admission is free.
It is one of 24 All American Rose Selection (AARS) test gardens in the country, and also includes a unique Idea Garden created and maintained by the Smith County Master Gardeners.
Where to Buy Cut Roses in Tyler
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We love to buy cut roses in Tyler ... our favorite vendor is available most any day from spring to fall.
For years, she sold her roses from her van parked in the corner of the parking lot at Brookshire's Grocery on South Broadway Avenue and Rice Road. Today, she sells out of her van parked in the French Quarter Shopping Center, at the corner of Loop 323 and Broadway, near Einstein Brothers Bagels.
She has many different roses to choose from, they are inexpensive, and they last for days! Highly recommended!
Photographs of the Texas Rose Festival Over the Years
Open-air convertible with dignitaries |
Band marching in the Rose Parade |
Float in the Texas Rose Festival parade |
Festival parade in downtown Tyler |
The Elegance and Color of Roses
The YouTube video lasts only a couple minutes, and has some easy-listening music. So turn up your volume, and enjoy some beautiful roses!
Historic Postcards of Tyler Roses
Greetings from the Tyler Rose Festival |
Entrance to the Tyler Municipal Rose Garde |
More About Tyler Roses |