Returning following a successful 2023 event, The Manchester Flower Festival is set to bloom once again, brightening up the lovely streets of our city. Organised annually by Manchester City Centre BID, will be a fabulous floral spectacle, featuring a floral trail celebrating Manchester icons, plus lots of al fresco dining, live music and family entertainment.
Now in its seventh year, Manchester’s floral takeover attracts tens of thousands of additional visitors to the city centre and launches the summer event season in the city. Taking place across the late May Bank Holiday weekend, Manchester Flower Festival transforms the city centre with themed decorations and green installations, alongside live music, entertainment, alfresco food and drink, talks, demonstrations and workshops.
Since 2018, the event has taken place as part of the annual King Street Festival, however, has expanded over the years to bring a little bit of colour to the rest of the city centre. The region’s best floristry and gardening talent will team up for the occasion, turning shop windows, lampposts, vintage cars and even pop-up gardens into floral pieces of art.
When is Manchester Flower Festival?
Manchester Flower Festival will take place during the late May Bank Holiday weekend (Friday 24th – Monday 27th May, 2024).
Where will it take place?
Spanning across the entire city, visitors will be able to experience a stunning trail of flowers and greenery around every corner – with areas such as Exchange Square, New Cathedral Street, St Ann’s Square, King Street and Manchester Arndale getting in the botanical spirit. Yep, when we say the entire city, we mean it.
Venture outside the festival zone where, once again, the city’s venues, public spaces and businesses are supporting the festival with their own newly commissioned gardens and displays, making up the Manchester Flower Festival Fringe. Highlights include a floral terrace at Holiday Inn Manchester’s Roby 1844, the Science and Industry Museum’s Planting Stories Garden, floating flower clouds at Bridgewater Hall, a street art urban flower garden by Fred Aldous X The Hammo in Stevenson Square, the Sky Garden at Castlefield Viaduct and a Clocktower Beehive at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel.
What floral food and drinks events will take place at Manchester Flower Festival?
Selfridges Exchange Square Takeover
Selfridges is partnering with Manchester Flower Festival by taking over Exchange Square with its iconic shade of yellow. Attendees will be able to enjoy the best of the city’s food and drink offering as well as live entertainment from local DJs in partnership with Reform Radio, where DJs will be playing iconic hits across the weekend. As part of the Exchange Square takeover, Manchester-based bakery Half Dozen Other will be providing bespoke Selfridges Yellow sweet treats across the weekend along with freshly squeezed orange juice. Additionally, Lazy Sundae will be providing ice cream and a bespoke selection of refreshing bobo teas and iced tea coolers.
For a fun family day out, the Gordon’s Gnome Hunt, an activity available for Selfridges Unlocked keyholders, will be running from 12pm-4pm each day of the festival. Guests can find Gordon’s friends hidden across the square for a chance to win a special prize. What’s more, there will also be an eye-catching Gordon the Gnome floral installation in the square to check out.
ThinK Wine VW Camper Van
Join ThinK Wine, to celebrate the Manchester Flower Show with a selection of vegan, organic, low-sugar, low-calorie sparkling wines. Look out for the charming pink VW Vintage Camper Van, where you’ll find glasses of pure delight. Don’t miss this chance to indulge in their delicious fizz and discover why ThinK Wine is the talk of the town.
Thatchers Balloon Tasting Experience
Look out for the Thatchers Balloon tasting experience on New Cathedral Street where you can try a sample of rich and fruity Apple & Blackcurrant cider or take a ride in the hot air balloon swings.
El Gato Negro and Tast Catala
Foodies can head to St Ann’s Square over the weekend and find pop-up restaurants showcasing food and drink from the city’s much loved El Gato Negro and Tast Catala restaurants.
Which bars and restaurants are taking part in the Manchester Flower Festival Cocktail Trail?
A delicious Cocktail Trail will also take place across the city, incorporating a selection of the city’s best bars and restaurants. Enjoy Manchester Flower Festival inspired cocktails at bars and restaurants across the city, including:
Grand Pacific
The Floral Aviation – A nostalgic riff on an aviation, including the flavours of lavender and parma violets, to create a colourful and refreshing drink.
📍50 Spring Gardens, M2 1EN.
Urban Playground
Petal to the Metal – Salted caramel, melon liqueur, Cointreau, apple juice, lime, vanilla & passionfruit syrup, topped with elderflower tonic.
📍 Upper Mall, Manchester Arndale, M4 3AQ.
Franco Manca
Limoncello Spritz – Limoncello, prosecco topped with sparkling water and finished with mint leaves as garnish.
📍King Street, M2 7AT.
Gran Cafe, San Carlo
Mount n’ Stormy, Relief & Iniziare – Join San Carlo Gran Cafe in celebrating the debut of their new Afternoon Tea menu and the return of the Manchester Flower Show with an exclusive selection of cocktails.
📍Selfridges, Lower Ground Floor, 1 Exchange St, M3 1BD.
Fazenda
Bloom Street – A refined twist on the classic Lychee Martini, infused with South American flair. This cocktail blends the earthy tones of Pisco complemented by the subtle sweetness of honey for a refreshing summer delight.
📍Spinningfields, The Avenue, M3 3AP.
What installations can be found on the Manchester Flower Festival Trail?
This year’s festival will celebrate ICONS, inspired by last year’s showstopping installations inspired by Hilda Ogden, Tony Wilson and Emmeline Pankhurst. The theme is open to interpretation and participants are encouraged to create ‘iconic’ displays and pop-up gardens, showcasing anything from Manchester-born icons, music icons, iconic buildings, or someone they hold personally as an icon in their life.
The Second Summer of Love by Manchester Arndale and Visual Architects
Stroll down New Cannon Street inside Manchester Arndale to spot a tribute to the city’s Second Summer of Love rave culture. Including a flower power archway, iconic Manchester symbols and psychedelic figures celebrating the era, this piece has been designed by Visual Architects and features a colourful display reflecting the free spirit, music, artwork and waves of harmony from the late 80s and early 90s in Manchester.
📍Manchester Arndale – Inside, New Cannon Street, Lower Ground Floor, M4 3AQ
Boddingtons Blooms by Corn Exchange Manchester and Boujee Boxes
Corn Exchange Manchester will be transformed into a desert scene that pays homage to Manchester’s most iconic ale, Boddingtons Brewery. Experience a sandy haven of weathered tree bases, lush green mounds and playful tumble weeds. Look out for a vintage ice cream van, inspired by the 1998 TV advert with Melanie Sykes.
📍Corn Exchange Manchester – Inside, Exchange Square, M4 3TR
What first attracted you to the comedian Caroline Aherne? by Sweet Bud Florals and Stanley Chow
Created by floral designer Liv Woodward, in partnership with acclaimed Manchester artist Stanley Chow, this piece honours the memory of Manchester legend, Caroline Aherne, through an incredible portrait and a floral frame of sustainably sourced plants and flowers.
📍The Floral Marquee, New Cathedral Street, M1 1AD
The Iconic Hive by Citiblooms Limited
Returning for a second year due to popular demand, The Iconic Hive will be located on New Cathedral Street, featuring a geometric structure filled with an abundance of fresh and dried flowers, complete with an 11ft cork tree structure and images of the city’s most iconic figures. Take an iconic picture and share using the designer’s hashtag, #citiblooms.
📍New Cathedral Street, M1 1AD
This is Manchester by The Manchester Flower Festival and Decordia
A spectacular floral celebration of Manchester’s iconic signs and artwork, this piece features recreations of Affleck’s mosaic murals, the ‘City of Manchester’ welcome sign and the ‘Glamour of Manchester’ artwork, currently on display at The Refuge, partnered with displays of foxgloves, aliums and birch trees to tell a story of Manchester through the ages.
📍St Ann’s Square, M2 7HQ
The Girls Aloud Tribute Garden by Verdure Floral Design, Sponsored by AO Arena
A beautiful floral sculpture celebrating Girls Aloud and their 2024 shows at Manchester’s iconic AO Arena, this piece showcases the Girls performing in front of the Cotton Bud Fountain, that’s been dressed in a magnificent tutu to match. This garden has also been created in honour of the late Sarah Harding, where visitors can donate to the Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal by scanning the QR code at the display.
📍Cotton Bud Fountain, St Ann’s Square, M2 7HQ
Queen Bee Rowetta by Royal Exchange Flowers and The Royal Exchange Manchester
A fabulous floral representation of Manchester icon Rowetta, best known for her work with The Happy Mondays, this piece has been crafted from a mannequin, with her hair and outfit inspired by the iconic Manchester Bee. Encompassing a hive full of fresh flowers, with colours inspired by the 1990s and the English rock band, this bee-friendly garden celebrates the city’s iconic music scene. Visitors are encouraged to share photos with #QueenBeeRowetta across social media to enter a competition with The Royal Exchange Manchester.
📍The Royal Exchange Manchester – Inside, St Ann’s Square, M2 7EF
Emmeline’s Town Hall by The Manchester Flower Festival and Decordia
Paying homage to Emmeline Pankhurst, this piece has been created by female-lead Decordia, featuring an ornate wooden Manchester Town Hall inspired planter with sashes, posters and colourful icons, alongside a wicker figure of Emmeline herself. Adorned with purple, green and white plants, this piece represents the colours of the suffragette movement.
📍Corner of King Street and Cross Street, M2 4NJ
Gnome Island by The Manchester Flower Festival and Decordia
A creative take on Gnome Island, a small fortress that can be spotted in the middle of Manchester Shipping Canal, make sure to look out for tributes to the city’s two world famous football clubs, Manchester poet and comedian, John Cooper Clarke, and activist, Emmeline Pankhurst – created with help from Television & Film design students from Salford University – alongside other Mancunian inspired gnomes.
📍King Street, M2 6AA
The Hacienda Garden by Frog
For a creation masterminded by Frog Flowers, head to King Street to discover a garden themed around Manchester’s iconic Hacienda nightclub. With monochromatic yellow flowers and plants, iconic yellow and black striped poles and disco balls, this is a place that will bring back fond memories of Manchester’s house clubbing scene.
📍Corner of King Street and Deansgate, M2 6AW
What other events can visitors expect from the Manchester Flower Festival?
New Cathedral Street Floral Marquee
Head to the Floral Marquee on New Cathedral Street to find a selection of beautiful bloom backdrops and displays from local Manchester florists, including Wonderwall, a colourful display of roses, hydrangeas, lemons and roses in celebration of the popular Oasis hit, Cottonopolis, an installation nodding to industrial Victorian Manchester and the mill industry and textile trade, and Manchester Rain, a floral rainfall display made from pressed flowers.
Gardening greats, The RHS, will be on hand with a dedicated flower stand where visitors can learn about RHS Garden Bridgewater and the benefits of becoming an RHS member, while local businesses, Smart Floral Art will be hosting a Pressed Flower Framing Workshop, Stockport Fungi will be showing visitors how to grow their own oyster mushrooms and Søstrene Grene will be teaching flower crafting skills, including crochet basics and a how-to on creating crepe paper flowers. A unique workshop will also take place at Gail’s on King Street, where The Alternative Florist will be bringing a relaxing and mindful felt sunflower and foliage crafting experience to the festival.
Display Gardens
Festival goers can expect surprises on every corner of the city as additional floral and green displays will be showcased in windows, doorways, planters and shops, including a homage to Sir Ian McKellen and his most loved character, Gandalf, a quirky series of smaller community Ginnel Gardens inspired by Mancunian snickets and back alleys and A Simple Man – a pop-up garden dedicated to the working people of L.S. Lowry’s works.
Floral workshop at Kimpton Clocktower
This year’s Manchester Flower Festival theme is ‘Icons’ and what’s more iconic than Clocktower Florist, situated in the Grade-II listed home of Kimpton Clocktower Hotel? The clocktower adorned with the Manchester bee on the clockface, a building rich with history which has become an icon it its own right. Head to the Post Room for a very special flower workshop and be guided step-by-step through creating your own floral bouquet. Enjoy a sharing buffet and limited-edition Flower Festival cocktail whilst the DJ spins the perfect soundtrack.
Manchester Bee Parade
Families are encouraged to buzz their way around the city in a Bee Hunt and are invited to take part in the unforgettable Manchester Bee Parade. Starting at The Royal Exchange at 12pm on May 26, visitors can follow Manchester’s Queen Bee from garden to garden, whilst taking part in the special bee dance, ‘The Waggledance’.
There’s plenty more for families across the festival including a mud kitchen and sensory garden on St Ann’s Square, and workshops with Plant Co-operative, who will be hosting a full day of activities on Friday 24 May including wildflower seed bomb making, sunflower planting and a rock painting contest.
Flower, Arts and Craft Market
Pick up a floral keepsake at the Flower, Arts and Craft Market in St Ann’s Square, with stalls from; Christopher Walster, Pangea, Cactus Parlour, LUSH, Sam’s Bake House, Olive Can Fly, Giraffe Flowers and Alternative Flowers.
Flower arranging workshop at Manchester’s Printworks
Manchester’s Printworks will be blossoming with excitement over the festival weekend with a free flower arranging workshop with renowned local florist David Wayman on May 25 from 12pm – 3pm, alongside complimentary bouquet giveaways from the Printworks Flower Cart and a treasure hunt to find hidden bouquets around the complex.
Find out more about the floral festival here.