The 94th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® will look much different due to current COVID-19 restrictions, however the Festival is working and planning under these new set of rules that will result in temporary changes for our 2021 Festival.  Nevertheless, we will be “Back in Bloom” and taking full advantage of the unique opportunity to celebrate the arrival of spring. 
 
The Festival is pleased to announce our Thursday, Friday and Saturday dance party lineup and ticket availability.   
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​Sheetz 80’s Dance Party
Back by popular demand, the Sheetz 80’s Dance Party will take place on Friday evening, April 30, 2021 at the Tolley Dental Zone at the Frederick County Fairgrounds in Clear Brook, VA.  Doors open at 5:00 pm and live music will begin at 6:00 pm. (Please note new start time for event!)  General admission tickets are on sale for $35.00 and only 900 tickets will be sold for this event. 
 
The Sheetz 80’s Dance Party is mixing things up a bit by welcoming two new acts to our party stage in 2021.  Straight from Atlanta, GA in their 13th year together, DEPARTURE is the most respected Journey tribute band in the nation. DEPARTURE replicates the look, sound and feel of the original 80’s rock super group, Journey. These veteran musicians love what they do and have developed an amazing on-stage chemistry. They pride themselves on giving their audience an incredible high-energy, qualitative stage show from start to finish. Dressed in the iconic tuxedo jacket, DEPARTURE lead vocalist, Brian Williams, has an amazing singing voice, flawlessly matching Steve Perry’s vocal range and on-stage movements.
 
DEPARTURE plays all the hit songs that everyone knows and loves. Their performance is professional and highly engaging for their audience. Everything heard during their performance is live with no pre-recorded tracks used.  Performing over one hundred shows nationally per year, DEPARTURE brings the very best of Journey to audiences of all ages.
 
Opening for DEPARTURE, is local sensation Raised On Analog.  Raised on Analog combines the talents of a varied group of musicians to provide an entertaining and energetic mix of popular music. Theyt combine the danceability of Funk, Pop and Country, the recognizable lyrics of Classic Rock anthems with the raw power of 80's hits to create an experience that has something for everyone.
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Get your tickets early as this popular dance is sure to sell out again!  Guests may purchase beer and select mixed drinks, which will include a specialty drink reminiscent of the 80's era!  Festival food and concessions will be available for purchase at the Frederick County Fair Midway.
 
The Sheetz 80's Dance Party is under outdoor tents at the Frederick County Fairgrounds.  This is a rain or shine event.

​Allstate Insurance 90’s Dance Party
Prepare to go back to the golden era of music where the Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Nsync, Fugees, and Hanson tunes ruled the airwaves. Hip hop artists and Seattle grunge bands filled our mixed tapes and CD collections.
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The Allstate Insurance 90's Dance Party will take place on Thursday evening, April 29, 2021 from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm at the Tolley Dental Zone at the Frederick County Fairgrounds in Clear Brook, VA...Doors open at 5 p.m.  Tickets to this new event are only $20.00.  Only 900 tickets will be sold and are sure to sell out fast!
 
Dance the night away with As If - the Ultimate 90's Tribute Band. Winner of 2018 Best Cover Band by the Maryland Music Awards, As If brings their authentic, energetic live performance to the Festival's first-ever 90's Dance Party featuring the legendary music that made the 90's all that AND a bag of chips.
 
Find your plaid flannel shirts, stonewashed baggy blue jeans, Doc Martens, combat boots, Birkenstocks, and high-top sneakers and compete in the costume contest. Great prizes will be awarded to the best dressed!  Get your tickets early as this new dance is sure to sell out!
 
Guests may purchase beer and select mixed drinks, which will include a specialty drink reminiscent of the 90's era!  Festival food and concessions will be available for purchase at the Frederick County Fairgrounds Midway.
 
The Allstate Insurance 90's Dance Party is under outdoor tents at the Frederick County Fairgrounds.  This is a rain or shine event.

Ability Home Care Country Music Party
The Ability Home Care Country Music Party, presented by Shenandoah Country Q102, an iHeartMedia Station, will be held on Saturday, May 1, 2021 at the Tolley Dental Zone located at the Frederick County Fairgrounds in Clear Brook, VA. Doors and live music begin at 2:00 pm.  General admission tickets are on sale for $25.00 and only 900 tickets will be sold for this event. 
 
​Continuing its tradition of offering great country acts at an amazingly affordable price, this year’s party showcases four outstanding “homegrown” country performers: Bryan Frazier, Ryan Jewel, Chris Darlington, and Ronnie Wolford. The Festival is proud to bring these young, up and coming stars together on one stage.
 
Tickets for the Ability Home Care Country Music Party are only $25.00 and can be purchased online or at the Official Souvenir & Ticket Outlet opening in early April. In addition to an afternoon and evening full of great music, there will be plenty of adult beverages (ID required), as well as hot food on the midway. Please, no outside food and drink, or large purses and bags inside the Tolley Dental Zone.
 
Schedule is subject to change.
Ronnie Wolford and Logan Garrett (acoustic duo)              2:00 PM               3:30 PM
Chris Darlington                                                                         3:45 PM               5:15 PM
Ryan Jewel                                                                                   5:45 PM               7:30 PM
Bryan Frazier                                                                               8:00 PM               10:00 PM
 
This event is under outdoors tents at the Frederick County Fairgrounds.  Rain or shine. ​

Keep the Apple Blossom spirit alive by celebrating in your home and support the Festival during these hard economic times.

WINCHESTER, VA – Just like other local businesses and organizations, the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® is struggling financially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inclement weather had a devastating impact on Festival finances in 2018 and 2019, and the recent postponement of the 2020 Festival has placed our organization in uncertain times. Regardless of the situation, the Festival and its partners are resilient and stand committed to providing our loyal fans with opportunities to celebrate the arrival of spring and the beautiful apple blossoms – even it if means doing it from home this year.

Join us on Saturday, May 2, 2020, at 1:00 pm, as the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival®, in partnership with Shenandoah University airs a two-hour Tribute Parade showcasing the Festival’s rich history and giving fans an opportunity to help the Festival through an online giving campaign. Supporters are encouraged to keep the Festival spirit alive by hosting a family social distancing parade party at home, decorating your homes in pink and green, dressing up in your best pink and green outfits, sharing your favorite Apple Blossom stories, photos, and videos on social media and inviting family and friends from out of town to tune in to the tribute parade on WDVM TV25 or stream the parade online at thebloom.com.

​Each year the Festival and its volunteers rely on ticket sales, sponsorship and merchandise sales to cover costs. The Tribute Parade celebration includes an opportunity to support the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® financially through an online giving campaign. 2020 has proven to be financially disastrous, and we need your support as we make plans for 2021. Each year, the Festival provides a positive economic impact to our local economy and many local charities rely on Festival events to raise funds. These worthy organizations include local church youth groups, scouts, civic clubs and other non-profits. Without your support and generosity, we cannot guarantee future Festivals or the type of springtime celebration that we are normally accustomed to.

You may be asking, what should I expect if I tune in to watch the Tribute Parade on May 2? The Festival has years of parade video and photography along with candid celebrity interviews. Our Tribute Parade will include a mix of old and new footage packaged together that encompasses all things, Apple Blossom.

How do I support the Festival during these hard economic times? We know that many organizations and businesses are hurting financially right now, and they are all deserving of your help. As a Festival that has been around for 93 years, we have touched the lives of millions of festival-goers over the years, and we want to be around at least another 93 years, but we cannot do it without your support. As you consider contributing, think about family and friends who have traveled to our community in the past to celebrate with us and ask them for $10, $20, $50 or $100 towards our cause. Ask your friends to form a team to raise funds for the Festival through our GoBloom account or mail in a tax-deducible contribution to the Festival office at 135 North Cameron Street, Winchester, VA 22601.  All of these options are available, and we appreciate your support and generosity. The top fundraiser will receive a landscape makeover valued at $1,500 just before the next Festival in April 2021 compliments of our friends at C&J Lawn Care and Grand Feature Parade seats and catering for up to 10 friends.

Even if you are unable to contribute towards our on-line giving campaign, we want you to enjoy the Tribute Parade on May 2 in the comfort and safety of your home. In uncertain times like these, we are all seeking normalcy and there’s nothing like celebrating 93 years of family, fun, and tradition that is the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival®.

You are invited on April 24 at 8:00pm to give a Cheers to the Bloom (#cheers2thebloom).

A virtual event where we will join together to take a moment, raise a glass and toast future successful Apple Blossom Festivals!
We can also raise a glass and say cheers to the workers saving lives and risking their own, the workers keeping our shelves stocked and gas pumps full and anyone else that you know that is making a difference in this community. We want you to share your cheers to the Bloom and show the world just how much our community cares.

On Facebook: Go to our post at 7:45 or after on April 24 and share your photos and videos of you and your quarantined group to give a cheer. Everyone can join!. #cheers2thebloom
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On Instagram: tag us @officialsabf and use #cheers2thebloom

We suggest:

1. First invite your friends to join (virtually) on our Facebook Event in raising a glass #cheers2thebloom.
2. Everyone can join in, sippy cups and water bowls, beer, wine, water or apple juice!
3. If you are the creative type, come up with a catchy toast that best describes the moment.
4. Come one (or less than 10) and share your picture or video with us!
5. Maybe find your Wine Fest glass from last year?
6. Maybe wear your best pink and green?
7. Take a screen shot if you gather virtually and send it!
8. From the comfort of your home, let’s share a Apple Blossom moment.

#cheers2thebloom

​To all of our volunteers, fans, supporters, and the community at large, public safety has been and always will be the top priority of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival®.  In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic and the CDC’s recent recommendation regarding large gatherings, the Board of Directors has made the painful decision to suspend all planning for the 93rd Festival.  As you can imagine we do not take this difficult decision lightly, but one we had to make for the safety of our community.   Please remember such an action is not without precedent.  The Festival suspended all activities for four years during WWII.  We will get through these trying times together just as we did then.  Watch for updated information on our website at www.thebloom.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.  Thank you for your support of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival®.  We feel the future of the Festival remains strong.

One of the great community traditions during Festival time is the hanging of the pink & green. We want to encourage everyone to display your buntings, banners and flags as you always do. If we can’t celebrate together, let’s share the spirit of Apple Blossom by painting the town in our favorite colors.  It is and will always be FOREVER APPLE BLOSSOM!

Barry Carper, President
Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival®