The biggest event of the year in Sierra Madre is always this festival to celebrate the Guinness Book of World Records' honoree for world's largest blossoming plant. 

The downtown Sierra Madre area comes alive with a free festival from 9am to 5pm. Visitors are promised a day of music, over 110 vendors, and an antiques car show. All the local restaurants and stores are open for the event.

The star of the show, of course, is the epic flowering wistaria vine, which has been delighting the area with blooms for more than a century.

The vine itself is on private property, up a steep, unwieldy hill. While it's possible to walk up from the center of town, the odds of pulling that off without lots of whining (and will the payoff of an old plant redeem you before the complaining hoards?), the recommended method of seeing the three-square-mile plant is via a festival shuttle. Tram tickets are $12. Tickets are sold on Baldwin And Montecito on the day of the event from 9am to 3pm.

Vine viewing is 9am to 5pm.

And if you're wondering about the spelling of the word "wistaria" versus "wisteria," the simple answer is that this 120-year-old plant has lived so long that it outlived the spelling of its name; wistaria was the 19th century spelling.

Please note: The vine is NOT ADA accessible. It is on two private properties and the ground is uneven. Guests must be able to walk.