DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS 

Denver 

News: In recent years, it’s become clear that Mother Nature likes to play games with the Fete des Fleurs committee.  

The day of this al fresco fundraiser for Denver Botanic Gardens can start out sunny and bright, only to have the sky darken and rain start falling, literally moments before guests arrive. 

But as suddenly as the rain started on Aug. 28, it stopped, enabling Fete’s 2026 co-chairs Sarah Mohapp and Taylor Ross to breathe sighs of relief. 

Good weather is essential for Fete des Fleurs for two reasons. First, much of the action takes place outdoors. And the second reason is that the women attending Fete des Fleurs always wear exquisite evening gowns, attire that isn’t suited for wet weather. 

 The pre-dinner social, for example, had this year’s 800 guests moving from the Annuals Garden & Pavilion to Oak Grove to Mitchell Hall to enjoy specialty beverages and an array of themed hors d’oeuvres.  

Dinner — shaved summer squash salad, beef tenderloin and Colorado corn cake from Catering by Design — is served in locations that include the UMB Amphitheater Tent, the Romantic Gardens, Orangerie, Hive Deck and the Woodland Mosaic and Solarium.  

Post-dinner festivities included cocktails in the Boettcher Lobby and Mitchell Hall, and a hot dogcart set up in the Crossroads for anyone who’d worked up an appetite after dancing to music by The Radio Band. 

Donna McGinnis began her role as chief executive officer of Denver Botanic Gardens on Feb. 2 and marveled at its success. 

“This is my first Fete, and it has blown me away,” she said. “It is breathtaking. I wasn’t sure how the committee would handle 800-plus guests and five themed locations, but they did and it is amazing.”  

In addition to raising money, the 42nd Fete des Fleurs also marked the Gardens’ 75th anniversary and Colorado’s 150th birthday.  

In a message to attendees contained in the souvenir programs, Mohapp and Ross wrote that “This year’s Fete unfolds as a true celebration of connection. After wandering through the Gardens with cocktails crafted from local spirits, we settle in among friends, old and new, to enjoy a menu that brings the vibrant flavors of our state to the table. The willow installations, grown at the Gardens and woven by our own horticulturists, recall the original arboretum envisioned in City Park, while the floral designs (seen on dinner tables and throughout the Gardens) evoke Colorado’s wildflower meadows.”  

G.H. Phipps was the event’s Presenting Sponsor, and Molson Coors was the Share the Impact sponsor. Other support came from individuals and companies that include Andrisen Morton; Sarah Knight Morgan and Oscar Brown; UMB Bank; Northern Trust; the Vineyard; Robert and Judi Newman; Whitner and Greg Carlin; Davis|Graham; the Jornayvaz Family; Patty and Mike Imhoff; Becky and Brian Schaub; the Denver Debutante Ball committee; the Garden Club of Denver, and Suzanne and Tom Coxhead. 

Net income is predicted to reach, or top, $700,000. A final figure will be announced when the Scan to Give campaign concludes on Sept. 8. 

About the organization: For 75 years, Denver Botanic Gardens, with campuses on York Street in Denver and Chatfield Farms in Littleton, has connected people with plants, creating opportunities for discovery, transformation and a deeper connection to the natural world.  

Website: botanicgardens.org