A sold-out sunflower festival would have been unthinkable a decade ago, according to the manager running Abbotsford鈥檚 first.

The decision to hold the event comes from the growth in popularity from similar festivals in Chilliwack and Richmond, said Amir Maan of Maan Farms.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something now that is completely the norm,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e know there鈥檚 a big need for people coming out and enjoying and experiencing agriculture.鈥�

The flowers are grown on the site of a reclaimed mine, which means poor drainage for agriculture. Maan said using the site for the festival was perfect because sunflowers are 鈥渓ike a weed.鈥�

鈥淭hey are so good at adapting to the heat and the environment,鈥� Maan said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 even need to water them.鈥�

The three species of sunflowers growing only took 75 days to bloom from germination and have leaves a foot wide.

Tickets for the festival鈥檚 opening this weekend are already sold out, but the event is scheduled to run until Sept. 1

at Maan Farms on McKenzie Road.