Lovers of nature, beauty and good food alike can enjoy what a flower festival has to offer. These multi-day events celebrate some of the most amazing plants nature has to offer, and often have activities for the whole family.
Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, Colorado, USA
If you’d prefer a meadow over a manicured garden, Colorado’s Crested Butte Wildflower Festival might be for you. Taking place over ten days in 07/each year, the festival involves guided bush walks to see wildflowers blooming, art classes and tours of wildflower gardens. With the stunning Rocky Mountains as a backdrop, it’s hard to imagine a more spectacular flower festival.
Cherry Blossoms, Hirosaki Castle, Japan
There are so many places across Japan to see the iconic cherry blossoms in bloom. There are places to see the sakuru throughout the country, and the blossoms blooms progressively, generally from south to north. One of the very best places to see the sakuru in bloom is at at Hirosaki Cherry Blossom festival at the gorgeous Hirosaki castle. With over 2500 trees, row boats available for rent, and lights at night, it’s the perfect place to see the pink blossoms. But if you can’t make it all the way to Japan, Cowra in western NSW has its own cherry blossom festival in 09/ each year.
Floriade, Canberra, Australia
Canberra’s annual Floriade festival is iconic for a reason. Celebrating the spring flowering of bulbs, the capital comes awash in the colours of over a million bulbs. It was originally planned as a one-off to celebrate the bicentenary of the arrival of the first fleet in Australia, but was so popular, it is now in its 29th year. With art, food and an after-dark festival, there’s plenty for everyone.
Feria de las Flores, Medellin, Colombia
The Colombian city of Medellin comes alive in 08/each year with the Festival of the Flowers - Feria de las Flores. Unlike other flower festivals, this one centres around a huge parade made up of incredible flower arrangements. The parade, known as the Desfile de Silleteros, involves people carrying the “silletas”, large flower arrangements, along a 2.2km route. Hundreds of silletas, usually made with flowers including chrysanthemums, lilies, carnations, agapanthus, pansies, sunflowers and orchids, are on display each year.
Keukenhof, Lisse, The Netherlands
Keukenhof, also known as “the Garden of Europe”, is one of the world’s largest flower gardens. The 200 hectare estate on the grounds of Keukenhof Castle were first used to display the best of the country’s incredible flower industry in 1949. When the festival was opened to the public in 1950, it was a huge success. Each spring since, it has hosted the Netherlands’ largest tulip festival. There are over 7 million bulbs that flower each year across indoor and outdoor gardens, including tulips of every colour imaginable.