Flower Fest, a Baton Rouge non-profit that raises money for St. Jude, has named its chairwoman for the 2027 event. Allison Dumas will be the first person to handle this role within the organization.

“Since the creation of the Flower Fest, the primary direction has fallen upon a small core group,” Amy Vandiver, the president of Flower Fest, wrote in a text message. “By having a chairperson each year, we bring in someone who is connected to St. Jude through a child or a family member. It brings more sponsorship collaboration and community to the cause.”

In addition to raising money for St. Jude, Flower Fest highlights floral artists and market vendors like food trucks and other creatives.

Vandiver said that Dumas was the right person to pioneer this role because her daughter, Mavis, was the first St. Jude Flower Child the Flower Fest honored. Mavis was diagnosed in 2022 at one year old when the first Flower Fest occurred.

“Allison has participated every single year, helping us with St. Jude families and events,” Vandiver wrote. “She has played an integral role because no one on the board has actually experienced childhood cancer firsthand.”

The theme for 2027 is Geaux Vogue, and the event is scheduled for April 9 and 10 at Pointe-Marie, 14200 River Road, Baton Rouge.

Flower Fest is hosting a craft night 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 12 at Raising Cane’s Baton Rouge River Center, 275 S. River Road, to prepare for the event. Crafters and supporters ages 12 and up will make paper roses with magazine pages to create a Vogue installation for the 2027 Flower Fest.

For more information about Flower Fest, visit theflowerfest.com.