92 years of Daffodil Festival dresses. Here’s a look at how the iconic gowns have evolved
Over the years, one of the most iconic parts of the Daffodil Festival has been the fashion. Each year, the Royal Court — a queen and 24 princesses from local high schools — take part in the festival’s parade, wearing different sunny dresses each year.
The 92nd Daffodil Festival parade is April 5.
The News Tribune visited the Puyallup Historical Society to get a closer look at how the festival’s iconic dresses have changed over the decades.
The beginnings of the Royal Court
The Daffodil Festival first started as a garden party on April 6, 1926, Holly O’Brien, curator at Meeker Mansion, told The News Tribune. Charles W. Orton and his wife invited leaders from over 100 towns in Western Washington to see the daffodils blooming in the fields by their home. At the time, daffodil harvesting focused primarily on the bulbs, and the flowers often got thrown out or used as fertilizer.
In 1934, Tacoma photographer Lee Merrill suggested that farmers use the daffodil flowers to decorate a parade. The first Daffodil Festival parade happened on March 17, 1934, with 28-year-old Elizabeth Lee Wotten being crowned the first Daffodil Queen. Pierce County has hosted a Daffodil Festival every year since, except during World War II in 1943, 1944 and 1945.
Over time, the royal court expanded and today, it includes one queen each year and 24 princesses. The royal court used to consist of adult women, but over the decades, changed to students at local high schools. While there have been a few years where the festival tried to mix up the colors of the dresses, they always return to the signature yellow that has defined the flowers at the heart of Pierce County’s history.
1960s
One of the dresses in the historical society’s display is from Madeline Shouse, a princess in the 1960 parade from Orting High School. The dresses that year were simple, with long sleeves and a flowing yellow skirt. The back of the dress dips to the middle of the back in a U-shape.
Another item on display is from 1965: a yellow Daffodilian blazer from William T.G. Robinson. The Daffodilians were part of a married couple — the husbands of the princesses or queens. Robinson served as the first Sir Boss of the Daffodilians in 1965.
The Daffodilians and their princesses were expected to take part in hospitality duties. Over the years, the Daffodilians stopped being a part of the parade.
1970s
Sam Colorossi, a former Orting mayor, served as president of the Board of Directors in 1977. At the time, the Board of Directors got to join in the parade in green suits. The historical society has Colorossi’s suit from that year on display, complete with a sash that showcases his pins from the festival’s travels to other parades. O’Brien said it is common for the queens and princesses to also wear straps with pins from their travels.
1980s
In 1982, the Daffodil Festival’s dresses took a different turn. Tracy Jones, a princess from Orting High School, has her dress on display at the historical society. Jones’s dress matches that year’s Western theme, with a white blouse, blue skirt, quilted multi-color vest and a white cowboy hat. Jones also had a yellow ribbon tied near her collar .
O’Brien told The News Tribune the dresses looked different that year because of the festival’s low budget. She said that, because the budget was so tight that year, the festival directors made a lot of the fashion — such as the quilted vests — from scratch. They even considered getting the lace for the tiaras from scratch by lacing them instead of buying them.
2000s
A yellow dress from an unknown princess in the 2007 parade brings the iconic daffodil imagery to light. The dress has white tulip sleeves with a white pattern across the chest and waist.
2010s
Also on display at the historical society is a princess dress from the 2011 parade, also from an unknown girl. The dress has a long and frilly skirt that reaches the floor, with a yellow waistband and yellow-and-white sequined top. The sleeves are bold yellow straps that go across the shoulder, complete with white gloves and a “Daffodil Festival” sash. O’Brien says there’s a pin on the the sash to represent 2011’s “Spirit of Adventure” theme.
2020s
In 2020, O’Brien told The News Tribune that the royal court was mostly separated and faced a lot of restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the Royal Court wore their masks in the traditional group photo.
The 2025 Royal Court will visit Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner and Orting on April 5 as part of the parade.
