Hundreds of people attended the opening day of Brantwood Farms’ annual Sunflower Fest on Saturday, August 1, 2026.
Farmer Andrew Pate said the two-weekend event encourages visitors to take their time and enjoy everything the farm has to offer.
“We have a ten-acre sunflower field that’s in full bloom, and I think the last time I counted, there were over 250,000 sunflowers out there,” he said. “People are more than welcome to come walk through and enjoy all the flowers. We also have a few photo opportunities set up throughout the field. It’s a nice walk, and people get to pick three sunflowers to take home with them as well.”
On top of sunflowers, the Pate family has also planted a large selection of cut flowers for visitors to pick from.
“We’ve been doing this for a couple years now, so instead of just having sunflowers, we also have about 75 other kinds of flowers here that people are more than welcome to pick,” said Pate. “We have things like zinnias, cosmos, snapdragons, and amaranths; the list goes on and on. We also have about 12 different kinds of cut sunflowers over there as well.”
Upon arrival, visitors hopped on one of two wagons for a short, scenic ride out to the main sunflower field. While there, people spent their time exploring the fields, picking their perfect blooms, posing for family photos and grabbing some refreshments.
Sisters-in-law Clarissa Wilkie and Robyn Hagan, who travelled from Dundas for a girls’ day, said they were impressed with the overall experience.
“It’s amazing how everything is set up and the way you get to go on the tractor ride on the way out here,” said Hagan. “I think it’s great, and the sunflower quality is amazing too. I work with flowers at my job and these are still in really good shape, I feel like they’re going to last a long time when you take them home.”
The two agreed that everyone should try to visit at least once if they can.
“If you have the opportunity, check it out because it was honestly so nice,” said Hagan. “It’s so peaceful here, and even though there’s some crowds, it doesn’t feel like it because you’re on your own in the field.”
Aside from the thousands of blooms freckling the fields, guests also had the opportunity to explore the farm’s other offerings, including stopping by to see the different farm animals.
“With the sunflower festival, we also have our play yard open for the kids, and that’s going on every day we’re open,” said Pate. “We also have food trucks here, as well as our café. We’re even serving hard cider now, so there’s a lot going on.”
Given that this is the first sunflower festival taking place at the farm’s new German School Road location, Pate said he and his family were happy to welcome everyone back.
“We’re super thrilled to have people out here. We’ve had a great turnout today, so I’m very happy. There seems to be a constant, steady flow of people coming in,” he said. “There’s always a few hiccups with a new location, but we’re working through them, and everyone I’ve talked to has said they love the new spot so far. Everyone’s having fun and I hope people continue to keep coming out.”
For those who may have missed the event, the Sunflower Fest will take place again this weekend.
The festivities will take place from Friday, August 7 to Sunday, August 9. The event is open from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., with the last entry at 4 p.m.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
