A garden festival is a festival and exposition held to celebrate the arts of gardening, garden design, landscaping and landscape architecture. There are local garden festivals, regional garden festivals, national garden festivals and international garden festivals. The idea probably originated with Germany's Bundesgartenschau. The UK held five garden festivals in the period 1984–1992.
To qualify as an international exhibition, an expo must be recognised by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which was established by a diplomatic international convention, signed in Paris, in 1928. Horticultural expos can also be recognised by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (IAHP / AIPH). To qualify as a national exhibition, a garden festival must be recognised by a national government.
Because garden design is becoming more popular and featuring on TV, there is an ever-growing number of garden festivals: permanent and temporary, official and non-official. One of the best known is the International Garden Festival held on a permanent site at Chaumont in France. Despite the name, Chaumont does not come within the BIE definition of an 'international' festival. Other shows feature garden design but describe themselves as 'flower shows'. The best-known example in this category, the Chelsea Flower Show, emphasises garden design. It spun off a Chelsea Fringe events in 2012 which featured a variety of unusual gardens and gardening across London.
List of International Garden Festivals (BIE recognised)
Country City Name Year ThemeBIErecognised Yokohama World Horticultural Exhibition YOKOHAMA 2027 2027 Scenery of the Future for Happiness Yes Ruhr Region from Dortmund to Duisburg Green Ruhr 2027 2027 Stadt der Städte Yes Udon Thani Udon Thani International Horticultural Expo 2026 2026 Diversity of Life YesDohaQatar Expo 20212023Green Desert, Better EnvironmentYesAmsterdam-Almere Floriade Amsterdam-Almere 2022 2022 Growing Green Cities Yes Beijing Expo 2019 Beijing China 2019 Live Green, Live Better Yes Antalya Expo 2016 Antalya 2016 Flowers and Children Yes Venlo Floriade 2012 Venlo 2012 Be part of the theatre in nature; get closer to the quality of life Yes Chiang Mai International Horticultural Exposition Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006 2006 To Express the Love for Humanity Yes Rostock IGA Rostock 2003 – Internationale Gartenbauausstellung 2003 Hansestadt Rostock 2003 A Seaside Park. A new flowered world Yes Haarlemmermeer Floriade 2002 2002 The contribution of the Netherlands horticulture and international horticulture in the quality of life in the 21st century Yes Kunming International Horticultural Exhibition Kunming 1999 1999 Man and Nature - Marching into the 21st century Yes Stuttgart IGA Stuttgart 93 – V Internationale Gartenbauausstellung 1993 City and Nature - Responsible Approach Yes Zoetermeer Floriade The Hague-Zoetermeer 1992 1992 Horticulture is being involved in a continuous process of renewal in the field of quality, technique, science and management Yes Osaka International Garden and Greenery Exposition, Osaka, Japan 1990 1990 The Harmonious Coexistence of Nature and Mankind Yes Liverpool International Garden Festival Liverpool '84 1984 The progress accomplished by International and National Horticulture Yes Munich IGA 83 München – IV Internationale Gartenbauausstellung 1983 International Horticulture Yes Amsterdam Floriade Amsterdam 1982 1982 International Horticulture Yes Montreal Floralies Internationales de Montréal 1980 Relationship between man's socio-cultural activities and his physical environment Yes Vienna WIG 74 – Wiener Internationale Gartenschau 1974 1974 International Horticulture Yes Hamburg Internationale Gartenbauausstellung 73 1973 International Horticulture Yes Amsterdam Floriade Amsterdam 1972 1972 Efforts accomplished by International Horticulture Yes Paris Floralies Internationales Paris 1969 1969 Flowers of France and Flowers of the World Yes Vienna WIG 64 – Wiener Internationale Gartenschau 1964 International Horticulture Yes Hamburg IGA 63 – Internationale Gartenbauausstellung Hamburg 1963 1963 Horticulture of all Categories from the Point of View of Economics and Culture Yes Rotterdam Floriade International Horticultural Exhibition 1960 1960 International Horticulture Yes
List of other garden festivals Country City Festival name Year(s) Dates Type AIPHclassificationBIErecognised Stoke-on-Trent, England Stoke-on-Trent Garden Festival 1986 1 May – 26 October National No Glasgow, Scotland Glasgow Garden Festival 1988 28 April – 26 September National No Gateshead, England Gateshead Garden Festival 1990 1 May – 4 October National No Ebbw Vale, Wales Ebbw Vale Garden Festival 1992 1 May – 4 October National No Columbus, Ohio AmeriFlora '92 1992 3 April – 12 October International No Dijon Florissimo 2005, 2010, 2015 National B2 No Festival de Holambra ExpoFlora 2005 National B2 No Shenyang International Horticultural Exposition 2006 2006 1 May – 31 October International A2/B1 No Singapore Singapore Garden Festival 2006and biennially since 16–25 December International n/a No Pyin Oo Lwin National Kandawgyi Gardens 2005–2017 December National N/A No Dijon Florissimo 2010 11–21 March National No Taipei Taipei International Flora Exposition 2010–2011 6 November – 25 April International A2/B1 No Melbourne Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show 1995— 30 March – 3 April International n/a No Xi'an International Horticultural Exposition 2011 2011 22 April – 28 October International A2/B1 No Suncheon Suncheon International Garden Expo(Korea) 2013 20 April – 20 October International A2/B1 No Jinzhou International Horticultural Exposition 2013 2013 10 May – 31 October International A2/B1 No Qingdao Qingdao International Horticultural Exposition 2014 2014 25 April – 25 October International A2/B1 No Dijon Florissimo 2015 March National No Tangshan Tangshan International Horticultural Exposition 2016 2016 May – Oct International A2/B1 NoTaichung2018 Taichung World Flora Exposition20183 Nov. 2018 – 24 Apr. 2019InternationalA2/B1NoCanberraFloriade, Canberra1988—16 September — 15 October 2023NationalNoYangzhouYangzhou International Horticultural Exposition 202120218 April – 8 OctoberInternationalA2/B1No
References Andrew C. Theokas Grounds for Review: The Garden Festival in Urban Planning and Design (Liverpool University Press, 2004 )
External links
AIPH official website BIE official website