Spokane Lilac Festival Association is moving its office to a 600-square-foot space in the Monroe Court Building, at 901 N. Monroe, just east of the Spokane County Courthouse.

The association had leased space for several decades in the old Wells Fargo & Co. Building, at 3021 S. Regal, on Spokane’s South Hill.

Sam Snow, 2023 SLFA president, says he sees benefits to being in a location closer to downtown Spokane, especially during the annual Armed Forces Torchlight Parade and other festival events.

“We’re looking forward to the flexibility that it gives us,” Snow says.

The nonprofit’s directors and royal court, which consists of seven seniors from Spokane County high schools, serve as ambassadors for the Spokane region as they travel across the Pacific Northwest.

In another move under Snow’s leadership, SLFA hired Adriana Berndt in February to serve as development director. 

Snow says that Berndt’s primary role will involve overseeing fundraising efforts, building partnerships in the community, and planning and managing events.

Snow says that SLFA has only used volunteers for that position in recent years, and that Berndt will play a big part in “bringing the organization up to speed from a standardization perspective, from a documentation standpoint, and making ourselves more professional and working to support the community.”

Berndt was instrumental in selecting the new office location, according to a press release from SLFA. Snow says she also helped the organization acquire a royalty coach—a large van wrapped with Lilac Festival branding that will be used to transport the royalty court to various events.

The 85th Spokane Lilac Festival Week will run from May 15 to May 20. Next week’s events will include the Lilac Legacy Art Show, the Queen’s Luncheon, the President’s Gala, Lilac Festival Brewfest, and the parade.

The brewfest event will take place 1 p.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, May 20. The parade begins at 7:45 p.m. in downtown Spokane, also on Saturday.

This is the second year that SLFA is holding its brewfest. It will feature over 35 local breweries, Snow says. 

The parade will feature and honor military personnel and veterans and will include the royal court, local high school bands, equestrian units, and more, Snow says.