92nd Texas Rose Festival Concludes in Tyler, Crowned Queen Claire Elizabeth Cohagan
Tyler, Texas – The 92nd annual Texas Rose Festival wrapped up Sunday, October 22, after four days of celebrations centered around its 2023 theme, "Rhythm of the Roses." The festival, which began Thursday, October 19, saw the crowning of Queen Claire Elizabeth Cohagan, a Tyler native with a generational legacy connected to the event.
Queen Claire Elizabeth Cohagan, daughter of Mark and Christy Cohagan, currently attends the University of Texas at Austin, pursuing a double major in Studio Art and Rhetoric & Writing. Her future plans include an internship at Texas Law this spring and subsequent law school. She follows in the footsteps of her grandmother, Mary John Cohagan, who served as Rose Festival Queen in 1960.
Joining Queen Cohagan were Duchess of the American Rose Caroline Caven of Charlotte, NC, daughter of David and Ashley Caven and a student at Wake Forest University. Hannah Elise Griffith, a Tyler native and daughter of Chris and Lori Griffith, served as the Duchess of the Rosebud; she is a student at Tyler Legacy High School.
Major events included the Coronation, which took place Friday, October 20, with two performances at 2 PM and 7 PM at the Tyler ISD Auditorium, located at 1027 S. Fannin Ave. The traditional Rose Parade proceeded through Downtown Tyler on Saturday morning, October 21, kicking off at 9 AM.
The Tyler Rose Garden, situated at 420 Rose Park Dr., was open daily throughout the festival. The Rose Garden Center hosted the Rose Show on Saturday and Sunday, October 21 and 22, from 1 PM to 5 PM, alongside an Arts & Crafts Fair, which ran Saturday and Sunday from 9 AM to 5 PM. Public tours of the Rose Garden were also offered Friday, October 20, at 10 AM. An invitation-only Queen's Tea was held Friday, October 20, from 11 AM to 1 PM.
Tickets for various events were available online at TexasRoseFestival.com and at the Rose Festival office.
