Many people will agree with me that flowers are the most incredible and most beautiful things Mother Nature has ever created that always make us smile and keep us happy and in high moods. There are different displays of these unique and colorful ‘creatures.’ And if you’ve followed our previous posts, maybe you remember the beauty found in Keukenhof or Nong Nooch garden in Thailand. What we are going to introduce in today’s post are some of the numerous amazing festivals around the world that celebrate the charm and beauty of flowers in different decorations and colorful displays.
Jersey Battle of Flowers
Amazing dances, creative costumes and thousands of flowers – welcome to the Jersey Battle of Flowers. A world-famous event, which involves islanders building floats with either paper or real flowers, regularly dazzles more than 20,000 people each year. The battle began as a flower parade, but along the route the flowers were torn off and thrown to the spectators, who threw them back and the Battle was born. In 2002, the battle celebrated its centenary, with many floats taking the 100 year birthday as the theme for their design.
The festival takes place on the 2nd Thursday of August, with a spectacle of musicians, dancers and entertainers and a moonlight parade the following evening, featuring flower covered floats that are adorned with thousands of illuminated lights to give a truly magical appearance.
The exhibitions have a choice as to which Class they enter (there are Classes from 3 to 12), as each class has its individual award. There are several major awards and the ultimate is the Prix d’Honneur, awarded to the highest marked exhibit in Classes 10, 11, and 12. Other awards include: Animation Awards, Most Humorous Award and Carnival Atmosphere Award.
Genzano Infiorata Flower Festival
A beautiful festival held in the small town of Genzano Italy during the month of June, the Infiorata attracts thousands of visitors around the world. Each year talented local artists cover the entire street of Belardo (Via Belardi) with intricate floral carpets, featuring patterns inspired by religious art, shapes and famous paintings.
The festival can be traced back to 1778. It begins with the harvesting of millions of beautiful flowers, 2-3 days before the event, which are stored fresh in caves around Genzano. Meanwhile, the artists sketch in chalk their masterpieces on the pavement for the Saturday parade. The entire process starts on the Friday night, before the festival and takes two or three days to complete. This amazing festival ends on the Monday of the third week of June, when children begin to destroy the colorful artworks by playing on them.
It’s worth mentioning that when spring comes, it has recently become tradition to have the so-called ‘mini Infiorata’ made by the children from the local schools. If you happen to visit Italy during this month, make sure to book your hotel beforehand, as the festival is a great tourist attraction and it will not be easy to find a place in the town’s hotels.
Batalla de Flores, Valencia
Visiting Valencia Spain is always a memorable experience, as apart from offering a wide range of attractions, the city also comes with amazing festivals and traditional fiestas, including the world-famous Las Fallas and Feria de Julio (The July Fair), the latter packed with various cultural and entertainment events and spectacles that last a whole month, including dance and theater shows, bullfighting, concerts, outdoor cinema, fireworks, traditional music and least but not last the truly amazing Battle of the Flowers.
The Spanish are truly passionate about many different art forms, but most of all and above all, they adore flowers and the battle of the Flowers greatly proves this. The spectacle is the final event of July Fair, which begins on the 22nd of July with a long parade of fabulous floats pulled by horses and filled with Valencians dressed according to the theme of their float. Each float features a unique demonstration of colorful flower artwork and designs, most made of real flowers that are sure to take your breath away with their beauty and fresh smell.
Floats pass along the track several times so that the commission can decide which one is the most beautiful. After all, the real battle follows, during which all the flowers are thrown to each other. This lasts for about 20 minute and ends with the ‘mascieta’ (fireworks).
Other famous flower festivals include: Chaing Mai Flower Festival in Thailand, Diwali Festival in India, Flower Parade in Spalding, Brussels’ Flower Carpet, Battaglia di Fiori, Ventimiglia and festival of the Flowers, Medellin among others.
