This flower festival under an hour from Montreal lets you pick your own bouquets and strawberries

A much-awaited flower festival and strawberry picking season is returning to La Belle de Coteau-du-Lac this July. A short drive from Montreal, Festifleurs will bloom from July 19 to 21, July 26 to 28, and August 2 to 4, so you can experience the colourful spectacle of high summer.

The fields offer a stunning mix of flowers including zinnias, rudbeckia, gomphrena, daisies, lavender, dianthus, lisianthus, and marigolds at the start. Sunflowers and dahlias will emerge in August.

In a maze-like pattern, the fields are separated by types of flora with trails connecting the vast terrain. The entry fee is $24 per person, which includes the pick of a standard bouquet (up to a dozen flowers). A $37 ticket covers entry for two adults and a bouquet.

For those with a keen eye for aesthetics, there's a photo booth perfect for capturing your memories in the fields and around ann artificial lake that adds a picturesque touch to the scenery.

The flower festival is about all the bounties of the farm. A FestiLunch option features farm-fresh meals, from burgers to frozen smoothies made from berries grown on the farm. There's also the option of sampling craft beers from a local microbrewery.

Strawberry-picking fields open earlier on July 6, 7, 13, and 14 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and also on Saturdays and Sundays during summer events.