Lompoc flower fields: when they bloom and where to see them

Lompoc flower fields quick facts

Bloom window

Generally April through September (Explore Lompoc); hillside wildflowers around mid-April

Where to look

Central Avenue west of Old Town, from Floradale Ave to Union Sugar Ave; fields move every year

What's grown

Stock, larkspur, delphinium, Queen Anne's lace, bupleurum and Bells of Ireland; sweet peas for seed

The rule

Private farmland: photograph from the roadside, keep vehicles on paved roads, don't walk into the fields

Fewer fields now

Explore Lompoc says growers "do not always plant flowers" and fewer farmers grow them than before

Flower Festival

Last full weekend of June at Ryon Memorial Park (organizer). 2026 ran June 25–28. 2027 dates not published as of Oct 17, 2026

Lavender

Santa Rita Hills Lavender Farm, 1900 Tularosa Rd: Fri–Mon 11am–5pm or by appointment; general admission July 1 through Labor Day weekend

From Solvang

Central Ave & Floradale Ave 23.2 mi (38 min); lavender farm 15.1 mi (24 min)

Make a day of it: flowers, lavender, lunch and wine

A loop for a spring or summer Saturday from Solvang or Santa Barbara. Drive times are without traffic.

1. Lunch first: Capulín, inside the Sta. Rita Hills Wine Center at 300 N. 12th Street, is open Tuesday to Saturday from 7am (to 4pm Tuesday to Thursday, 5pm Friday and Saturday), or Old Town Kitchen & Bar, 319 E. Ocean Avenue, opens at 11am. More in our Lompoc restaurants guide.
2. The fields: Old Town to Central Avenue at Floradale Avenue is 3.4 miles (7 min). Drive west on Central toward Union Sugar Avenue and look both ways (see where).
3. Lavender (July to Labor Day): Santa Rita Hills Lavender Farm is 8.6 miles (15 min) from Central and Floradale.
4. Wine: from the lavender farm, the Lompoc Wine Ghetto is 5.7 miles (9 min). Montemar pours until 6pm on Saturdays and 7pm on Fridays; walk-in and appointment rooms are on our Wine Ghetto route map.
5. Sunset: Surf Beach is about 18 minutes west of town. Dogs are banned there from March 1 to September 30, which covers most of flower season; see our Lompoc beaches guide.

In Old Town, look up: Explore Lompoc counts more than 30 murals, some showing the valley's flower industry.

When do the Lompoc flower fields bloom?

Explore Lompoc says the fields "generally bloom from April through September." Wildflowers on the hills around the valley bloom around mid-April and can usually be seen from the roadside, per the same page.

What you might see: Explore Lompoc lists stock, larkspur, delphinium, Queen Anne's lace, bupleurum and Bells of Ireland among the cut flowers grown here, plus sweet peas grown for seed. It doesn't publish a crop-by-crop calendar, and neither do the growers, so we don't guess one.

Set expectations: Explore Lompoc's own update says "growers often change their crops and do not always plant flowers," and that fewer farmers grow flowers than in past years. A field that was in color last spring may be planted with something else this year.

Here in October, you're past that window. For winter and early spring color, the wildflower drive on Figueroa Mountain runs February to April.

Where are the flower fields in Lompoc?

Explore Lompoc says the fields "rotate every year" and are scattered across the valley, and that some can be spotted west of Old Town "along Central Avenue, from Floradale Ave. to Union Sugar Ave." It also says it is "no longer able to track them definitively," so treat any map, including old blog posts, as a starting point. New bloom information goes on its flower fields page.

The simple route: from Old Town, drive to Central Avenue at Floradale Avenue (3.4 miles, 7 min), then head west on Central toward Union Sugar Avenue. From Solvang, Central and Floradale is 23.2 miles (38 min).

The largest commercial grower, per Explore Lompoc, is Ocean View Flowers, which specializes in Bells of Ireland, delphinium, larkspur and stock. It's a working farm, not a visitor stop.

Can you walk into the Lompoc flower fields?

No. Explore Lompoc says the fields are privately owned and "visitors and photographers are NOT allowed to walk into the fields." Keep vehicles on paved roads, don't let children or pets run into the rows, and take your photos from the side of the road. Pull fully off the road before you stop.

To walk among flowers legally, go to the lavender farm in season.

When is the Lompoc Flower Festival?

The Lompoc Valley Flower Festival is "held during the last full weekend of June at Ryon Memorial Park," per its organizer: a parade of flower-covered floats, a carnival, entertainment, arts and crafts, food booths and the Flower Festival Queen. The 2026 festival, the 73rd, ran June 25–28, per Explore Lompoc.

2027 dates are not published yet. The organizer's home page still shows the 2025 festival and Explore Lompoc lists only 2026, so for a June trip, check the organizer before you book anything.

The parade runs south on H Street, west on Ocean Avenue and south on O Street, ending in the 100 block of South O Street. The festival began in 1952, grew out of the Alpha Club Flower Show of 1922, and paused in 2020 and 2021. Organizer: Lompoc Valley Festival Association, 414 W. Ocean Avenue, 805-735-8511. Ryon Memorial Park is 21.7 miles (34 min) from Solvang.

Where can you see lavender in Lompoc?

Santa Rita Hills Lavender Farm, 1900 Tularosa Road, is the one place on this page where walking through the field is the point. The farm lists its farmstand and fields as open Friday to Monday, 11am to 5pm, or by appointment. Guided tours begin June 20, general admission runs July 1 through Labor Day weekend, and after Labor Day it's the off season. Children are free with an adult. It grows more than 3,000 lavender plants and is a certified wildlife sanctuary, per the farm.

The farm's home page lists neither adult admission nor a lavender festival date, so call 805-395-6568 before you plan around either. It's 15.1 miles (24 min) from Solvang and 9 minutes from the Wine Ghetto.

Why is Lompoc called the Flower Seed Capital?

Explore Lompoc traces the flower industry to the early 1900s, when mustard was harvested for seed. Seeds grown in the valley were sold worldwide for decades, earning Lompoc the nickname "Flower Seed Capital of the World," with seed production peaking in the 1960s and 1970s. Today the focus is cut flowers: Explore Lompoc says about 80% of US cut flower production comes from California, and more than half of that from Santa Barbara County.

The photo at the top is a May 1972 shot of the valley by Gene Daniels, held by the U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Good to know

Can you walk through the Lompoc flower fields? No. They're privately owned. Photograph from the roadside and keep vehicles on paved roads.

What flowers grow in Lompoc? Stock, larkspur, delphinium, Queen Anne's lace, bupleurum and Bells of Ireland, plus sweet peas grown for seed, per Explore Lompoc.

How far are the Lompoc flower fields from Solvang? Central Avenue at Floradale Avenue is 23.2 miles, about 38 minutes, from Solvang by road.

Nearby: eat, taste, stay

• Lompoc beaches: Surf Beach, Point Sal, Ocean Park
• Lompoc restaurants: Lunch before the fields
• Lompoc Wine Ghetto route map: 9 min from the lavender farm
• La Purísima Mission: The most restored California mission · 11 min from Central and Floradale
• Figueroa Mountain: Wildflowers February to April
• Sta. Rita Hills wineries: On Highway 246 toward Buellton
• Lompoc: Where the Wine Ghetto lives

Quick answers

When do the Lompoc flower fields bloom?

Generally April through September, per Explore Lompoc. Hillside wildflowers bloom around mid-April.

Where are the flower fields in Lompoc?

They rotate every year. Explore Lompoc says some can be seen west of Old Town along Central Avenue, from Floradale Avenue to Union Sugar Avenue.

When is the Lompoc Flower Festival 2027?

Not announced as of Oct 17, 2026. The organizer says the festival is held on the last full weekend of June at Ryon Memorial Park.

When was the 2026 Lompoc Flower Festival?

June 25–28, 2026. It was the 73rd festival.

Is there a lavender farm in Lompoc?

Yes. Santa Rita Hills Lavender Farm, 1900 Tularosa Road, opens Friday to Monday 11am–5pm or by appointment; general admission runs July 1 through Labor Day weekend.

Are there flower fields in Lompoc in October?

October is after the April to September window Explore Lompoc gives, so don't plan a trip around them now.