Battle of Flowers shines as vibrant as ever

Thursday 09 August 2018

A break with tradition looks to have paid off for the Battle of Flowers, with the new Battle Ambassadors being warmly welcomed at a successful carnival this afternoon.

Despite fears that rain would dampen the atmosphere, once again thousands of people lined the Avenue in the patchy sunshine to watch the sell-out event, at which the Optimists' club took the Prix d'Honneur.

Although the event itself is a long-standing tradition, the format was changed this year as for the first time since 1951 there was no celebrity guest; and the title of Miss Battle of Flowers, born in 1953, was replaced by the ‘Battle of Flowers ambassador.'

Battle Ambassador Arcadia Lockhart could be seen standing atop the ‘Its carnival time!’ float with her consort Lucy Hosking and the junior ambassadors, followed by confetti canons and applause.  

Pictured: the four Battle ambassadors aboard their float.

 Amongst the 25 floats on parade, some over 45 ft long, were creations from a number of parishes, clubs and groups, including ‘junior’ entries. They were competing for a variety of prizes, the top one being the Prix D’honneur. This year it was won by the ‘In Flanders' Fields’ float, made by The Optimists' Club, featuring a powerful tableau depicting scenes and symbols from WW1. 

Pictured: the winning float, by the Optimists' Club 

The Optimists Club float "In Flanders Fields " for the Jersey Battle of Flowers is nearly finished. Dedicated to the Jerseymen killed during the Great War. A stunning floral version of Soldier 1101 - Tommy @Ian_Gorst #theislandbreak @TheNorthernEcho pic.twitter.com/N9otpqH0dk

— Dr Helen Miles (@drhelenmiles) August 8, 2018

Other designers took a more light-hearted approach, with floats inspired by Grease, Peter Pan and the opera 'La Cage aux Folles.' Second place went to the 'Into the Woods' float from St. Clement, inspired by fairytales. 

Pictured: the vibrant colours of the floral floats more than made up for the grey skies.