Spring Festivals, Parades, & Special Events

Ready to frolic? We’ve got all the local parades, festivals & lots of other Spring-related events happening in Huntsville and Madison County in our Spring Activity Guide. Some of them even take place this weekend!

Mark your calendars, folks! Most of these events are free and all are AWESOME.

Mash, Splash & Dash Indoor Mini-Triathlon

When: March 1st, taggered start 7 am
Where: Southeast Family YMCA (map)
Cost: $15 per team member or $20 individual
More Info: 256.883.9622 | www.ymcahuntsville.org | Facebook Page

Kid and family-friendly triathlon with shorter distances for kids and beginners. Great for families!

Grand Mardi Gras Parade

When: Saturday, March 1st at 5:00PM
Where: Downtown Huntsville (map)
Cost: Free to observe
More Info: www.mardigrashuntsville.com

The Grand Parade is THE place to be in Huntsville to celebrate Mardi Gras! BEADS, FLOATS, MUSIC, what more could you ask for this time of year?! The parade will start and stop across from The Depot Roundhouse and parade through the streets of downtown Huntsville. Family-friendly.

Trinity Spring Market Place

When: Friday, March 7th 9am-6pm; Saturday, March 8th 9am-4pm
Where: Trinity United Methodist Church (map)
Cost: No admission
More Info: www.trinityhsv.org

Over 50 vendors selling arts, crafts, gourmet, beauty items. Baked goods as well as a soup lunch are available. All proceeds benefit local ministries and missions such as Lincoln Village and Meals to Grow.

Community Kite Festival

When: Saturday, March 8th from 11AM-3PM
Where: Jaycees Building and John Hunt Park (map)
Cost: FREE! Bring your own kite, chairs & blankets welcome
More Info: www.ashakiranonline.org |

The Kite Festival 2014 is a wonderful free event organized by AshaKiran and the City of Huntsville along with over 30 co-sponsors to promote awareness, inclusiveness and to impact the total community. There will be over 60 booths participating as well as sales vendors and food vendors. In addition to kite flying, there will be children’s activities, entertainment and music for the whole family. Come by and say hello at the Rocket City Mom table – let’s Soar for Social Justice!

Happy Birthday Einstein – Let’s Celebrate With Pi!

When: March 14 from 9AM – 5PM
Where: U.S. Space & Rocket Center (map)
Cost: museum admission applies, $1 pie toss
More Info: www.spacecamp.com

Celebrate Albert Einstein’s 135th birthday with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center! Time is all relative, discover the meaning behind E=mc2 and how Einstein saw the universe! Wish Professor Einstein ‘Happy Birthday’ as he walks though the museum greeting guests. Professor Einstein will be celebrating by eating pie for his birthday, and since it also happens to be National Pi Day (3.14), join us for a pie launching contest in Rocket Park! Teams will be arranged by age and contests will begin at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Also enjoy delicious pie in the Mars Grill and meet the USSRC Pi Lady as she welcomes guests to have the largest pie throw down the Rocket Center has ever had!

• At 3:14 p.m., there will be a birthday celebration and sing along with Albert Einstein in the Discovery Theater.
• $1.00 per pie toss in Rocket Park at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. All proceeds benefit Space Camp Scholarships.

Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade

When: Saturday, March 15 at 11:30 AM
Where: Downtown Huntsville, parade route here (map)
Cost: FREE to observe & march!
More Info: www.huntsvillestpatricksday.com | Parade Facebook Page

Join us downtown for the 37th Annual Huntsville St. Patrick’s Day Parade! This year’s parade will be our largest one yet and is sure to be a great time for the whole family. The parade starts near the roundhouse goes around the downtown square in Huntsville. Check the website before the parade for a flyer that will give you all the parade details and a parade map. There also will have entertainment at the Courthouse while you get settled into your spots and wait for the parade to start! We are also looking for marchers if you’d like to be IN the parade!

Spring Burst Guided Hike Series with The Land Trust

When: March 16 – June 6
Where: Land Trust properties in Limestone and Madison County
Cost: Hikes are free to the public, but donations to help preserve greenspace are gratefully accepted.
More Info: landtrustnal.org/spring-guided-hikes-series

The Land Trust invites you to “Take a Hike” and join them on their ”Spring Burst” guided hike series. Enjoy some mild exercise on preserved Land Trust properties in Limestone and Madison County. Suggested hiking equipment: long pants, comfortable closed toe shoes with good tread, and bottled water. You might also consider bringing a hiking stick, trail snacks, and a camera. Well-behaved dogs are welcome but should remain on leads. In case of rain, hikes will be cancelled.

Spacey Spring Time Fun

When: March 20, 9AM – 5PM; demonstrations at 11:30AM and 12:30PM
Where: U.S. Space & Rocket Canter (map)
Cost: museum admission applies
More Info: www.spacecamp.com

Celebrate the Rite of Spring and the Vernal Equinox with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center! You will be standing on your head once you learn the science behind the egg and debunk the myth of it standing upright on this day of the year. Discover why Earth has seasons and learn how they change the planet. Enjoy hands-on activities and live demonstrations in Rocket Park during this celebration! Hands-on activities include Rocket Egg standing and painting in Rocket Park. Paint your standing egg to match one of the history‘egg’ rockets in Rock‘egg’ Park! Also, make your very own Earth season guide. At any point during the year, see how the earth will look at its new season change.

NEACA Spring Craft Show

When: March 21-23, Friday & Saturday 9AM-7PM; Sunday Noon-5PM
Where: VBC South Hall (map)
Cost: FREE
More Info: www.neaca.org

Enjoy handmade arts & crafts, toys, and products at this annual Spring Show! Since 1973, NEACA has promoted the study, appreciation, enjoyment and preservation of original handicrafts. The goal is to encourage craftsmen to continue and improve their crafts through workshops, meetings and craft shows. To date, there are nearly 100 individuals registered as members of NEACA offering a wide range of handicrafts.

Treasure Hunt at Gold Mountain Grand Opening

When: Saturday, March 22 from 10AM – 4PM
Where: Burritt On the Mountain (map)
Cost: admission applies
More Info: www.burrittonthemountain.com

If you liked Whimsical Woods, you’ll love Burritt’s new attraction, “Treasure Hunt At Gold Mountain”! Come stake your claim and hunt for treasure as part of interactive adventure. Experience the Alabama Gold Rush of 1830 – arrive on the stagecoach, shop in the General Store for provisions, build a cabin, pan for gold, and more!

Spring Family Craft Session

When: Monday, March 24 @ 4:00pm
Where: Eleanor Murphy Public Library (map)
Cost: FREE
More Info: hmcpl.org | (256) 881-5620

Ms. Haley will show you how to make a paper flower bouquet for Spring. Family event, all ages welcome!

Spring Farm Days at the County Fair

When: April 5 – 6
Where: Burritt On the Mountain (map)
Cost: regular museum admission
More Info: www.burrittonthemountain.com

County Fair:Spring Farm Days is an exciting time to visit the barnyard animals, experience the historic skills and chores of our ancestors, and learn about life on the farm. Get some hands-on experience doing some of the old-fashioned chores. Wash and card wool, churn butter, stuff mattresses and view the progression of farm equipment and inventions as presented by the Southland Flywheelers. Enjoy our county fair as you see the results of our quilting and canning contests and compete in old fashioned games of skill and chance.

Spring Zing 5K and Fun Run

When: April 12 at 8AM (register by March 29th)
Where: Montessori School of Huntsville (map)
Cost: $30 – $15
More Info: www.montessorihuntsville.org/Spring-Zing |

A family-friendly run on an easy flat course with lots of prizes for registrants. Spring Zing 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run is an annual event benefiting the Montessori School of Huntsville and goes directly to purchasing classroom materials. The over and back certified course covers the scenic Aldridge Creek Greenway and winds around beginning and ending at the School. This year we are excited to announce that we will be working towards making this Huntsville’s first “green” race! In keeping with the spirit of Maria Montessori and the goals of the Montessori School of Huntsville we will be making efforts to reduce the waste created by such an even and rely on green materials whenever possible!

Healthy Kids Day

When: Saturday, April 19 from 9AM-NOON
Where: Southeast Family YMCA (map)
Hogan Family YMCA  (map)
Cost: FREE
More Info: Website

Local kids and families will have the opportunity to engage in some healthy play and activities designed to teach safety during out-of-school time. Activities include:

• One-mile Run Just for Fun
• Inflatable obstacle course
• Kids ZUMBA & yoga
• Children’s Garden
• Tang Soo Do martial arts
• Take-home flower pot activity by Home Depot
• Healthy snack prep by Registered Dietitian
• K9 Search/Rescue and Drug Dogs
• Bicycle and skateboard safety
• Local mascots
• Demonstrations by Huntsville and Madison fire and police departments

Hubble Day

When: April 24 from 9AM – 5PM
Where: U.S. Space & Rocket Center (map)
Cost: museum admission applies
More Info: www.spacecamp.com

Join us as we celebrate the launch of the magnificent Hubble Space Telescope. All museum activities will be focused around this amazing machine and the things we have learned from it. We will have multiple showings of the movie, Hubble, in the IMAX® Theatre, a Hubble hands-on activity where you make your own galaxy, and several presentations throughout the day by Jim Odom, former Hubble Program Manager at Marshall Space Flight Center.

32nd Annual Panoply of the Arts Festival

When: April 25-27
PANOPLY HOURS
Friday, April 25 – 5:00 – 9:00PM
Saturday, April 26 – 10:00AM – 9:00PM
Sunday, April 26 – Noon – 7:00PM
Where: Big Spring Park, Huntsville (map)
Cost: Tickets are $5 per day or $10 per weekend and children 10 and under receive FREE admission.
More Info: www.artshuntsville.org | (256) 519-ARTS (2787)

Each spring in the heart of the Rocket City the arts are in full bloom at the Panoply Arts Festival. The Festival celebrates music, dance, theatre, and the visual arts, making Panoply (as defined by Mr. Webster) a “magnificent, impressive array”! Three days of musical and visual arts, children’s activities, and performances – an experience that should be on every family’s Must List!

Good Day Kids Fest: KidStock 2014

When: Saturday, May 10 from Noon – 4:00PM
Where: Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment (map)
Cost: FREE, donations accepted
More Info: www.lowemill.net | 256-533-0399

Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment in partnership with Rocket City Mom is hosting the 7th annual Good Day Kid’s Festival! This year’s theme is “KidStock” and celebrates all things peace, love, and GROOVY BABY. Everyone is encouraged to wear their favorite 60’s-esque attire for the kid’s costume contest, and activities include tie-dye, demonstrations, live music, crafts, guerilla gardening, and much, much more! It’s the greenest, grooviest festival just for kids in all of north Alabama!