“The Daffodil Festival means a lot to me personally and to my family,” said Marin Sasaki-Boyce, the current president of the Daffodil Festival. With good reason. When Sasaki-Boyce, originally from Orting, was named Daffodil Queen in 2017, she was the fourth family member to be on the court.
In 2025, the Daffodil Festival will celebrate its 92nd anniversary with breaks only in times of war and the COVID-19 pandemic. The nonprofit serving Pierce County includes a series of festival events and a Royalty Leadership Program, where each member is declared an Official Ambassador of Pierce County.
The Royalty Leadership Program begins with a selection process from the 24 participating schools in Pierce County in the fall. A senior girl is selected with the help of community members provided by the Daffodil Festival Board to represent their school in the program.
The selection process is followed by the Princess Promenade, where each nominee is crowned as an official Daffodil Princess on February 16 at the Pioneer Park Pavilion in Puyallup. “This process is not a pageant-style event, but rather a scholarship and community service program,” Sasaki-Boyce said. As an official Princess, the court members participated in more than 300 service hours last year in and around the Puget Sound.
A Queen will be selected by a panel of judges from the community at the 2025 Queen’s Coronation at Graham-Kapowsin High School in Graham on Saturday, March 15.
The Daffodil Festival is then highlighted by the Grand Floral Parade on Saturday, April 5. This day-long, multiple-city parade begins with a morning parade in Tacoma, moves to Puyallup and then on to Sumner, before concluding in Orting that evening. Four cities, one day – rain or shine!
Interested in supporting the Daffodil Festival, an entirely volunteer-run organization? Consider becoming a Daffodilian, attend the Daffodil Festival Auction at the Tacoma Yacht Club on March 1, or financially donate to the “Sponsor a Princess” page on the official website. According to Sasaki-Boyce, “We don’t want there to be any
barriers for participation, so Princesses don’t pay for anything themselves.”
For Additional Information
The Daffodil Festival
thedaffodilfestival.org
BY LYNN CASTLE