Springtime Tallahassee is an annual event held on either the last Saturday in March or the first Saturday in April in Tallahassee, Florida, United States celebrating Tallahassee's history and culture.
History
Springtime Tallahassee began in 1967 as a concept to keep Tallahassee as the state capital. At the time, Florida had its first Legislature based on reapportionment in which Florida legislators from southern and central Florida were insisting that the capitol be in a more centralized location.
Tallahassee's civic and business leaders mapped a strategy and proposed it to their legislative delegation asking for help. As the legislative session advanced, unkind comments about Tallahassee were made by legislators. This prompted the Junior League of Tallahassee with the Junior League taking the southern and central legislators' wives on a bus tour of old homes in Tallahassee and nearby Monticello. This drew an enthusiastic response. The Rotary Club produced a Chamber of Commerce bulletin called You can see everything in Tallahassee in one hour! and published a historical tourist volume called Tallahassee In View which included excerpts from the long history of Florida's capital city and the surrounding area.
By the Autumn of 1967, there were 20 various groups planning the First Annual Tallahassee Spring Festival. The first festival featured the Apalachee Jubilee with a parade and pageant commemorating the selection of Tallahassee as the capital of territorial Florida.
In 1969 A.F. "Pete" Rich lead a men's group to organize and give direction and financial support to the idea of a festival and his wife, Mrs. Jean Rich, served as General Chairman of the festival. A chartered organization called SpringTime Tallahassee, Inc. dedicated itself to advertise and promote the history and beauty of Tallahassee and its people to all Floridians and welcome them.
By 1970, Springtime Tallahassee membership was increased to 200. By 1971, Springtime Tallahassee changed the format and divided the organization into five krewes which would depict Tallahassee history by historical periods.
The Jubilee in the Park celebration was not held in 2018, due to the organization's lightning policy, anticipated lightning, and a lack of necessary shelters should it be required.
In 2020, Springtime Tallahassee was not held in its entirety due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2021 saw the event pushed to May 15th, the latest date in the event's history.
The Grand Parade was not held in 2022, due to the organization's weather policy, anticipated rain forecasts, and a lack of necessary shelters should it be required.
Events
Breakfast in the Park is the kick-off to the festivities at Springtime Tallahassee. The entire community is invited to eat together in one of the historic parks of downtown Tallahassee with live TV and radio media present. The Friday night Music Fest on Kleman Plaza is a free-to-the-public concert, headlined by nationally known talen, held the night before the Parade and Jubilee. Springtime Tallahassee Parade features mechanical floats from all over the southeastern United States, elaborately clad characters, and even horse-drawn carriages to provide nostalgia. This parade attracts over 200,000 visitors one of the biggest southeastern parades and craft shows. The Jubilee in the Park features a combination of arts and crafts, exhibits, food and entertainment throughout the day. A road race, the Springtime 10k, is organized by the Gulf Winds Track Club and immediately precedes the Springtime Tallahassee Parade. The race starts downtown in front of City Hall and winds through the Myers Park neighborhood east of the Capitol, annually drawing approximately 1600 participants.
Krewes
Spanish, American Territorial, Antebellum-Statehood, War and Reconstruction, and 20th Century. This enabled each period to have a float as well as another entry of their choice into the parade to represent their era of history.
Spanish Krewe
The Spanish Krewe is currently the largest krewe and represents Spanish Florida from 1528 to 1821 and Hernando de Soto's explorations in Florida in 1539. The Spanish Krewe is engaged in numerous philanthropic activities throughout the year. Spanish Krewe participates heavily in each of the five major parties of Springtime Tallahassee, plus Float Day.
American Territorial Krewe
The American Territorial Krewe represents Florida when it became a United States territory. On March 4, 1824 Governor William P. Duval named Tallahassee the official state capital. Later that year the town was officially named Tallahassee. Tallahassee was incorporated in 1825.