Veteran artist provides new twist to Battle tradition

Sunday 06 August 2023

Hand-drawn prize cards are to be brought back to the Battle of Flowers as part of a series of innovations for the 2023 event.

Organisers have engaged veteran Jersey artist John Syvret to produce 11 hand-drawn prize cards, which will be given to the winners of the major awards such as the Prix d’Honneur and Prix d’Excellence.

Next week's edition of the historic pageant will see the Grand Day Parade take place on a Friday for the first time, with the Moonlight Parade following on the Saturday evening.

As well as the new parade timings, this year’s Battle will have a strong musical theme, with four local musicians coming together as ‘The Beantles’ to mark the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ tour to the Channel Islands, alongside the Caribbean sounds of Flagz Mas, regulars at the Notting Hill Carnival in London.

Pictured: Local artist John Syvret has produced the prize cards for this year's Battle. (Dave Ferguson)

The Moonlight Parade will conclude with a light display from 100 drones flying above St Aubin’s Bay.

Battle Chairman Russell Labey said he was thrilled to be bringing back prize cards to the event.

He said: “Seasoned exhibitors and parade goers will have fond memories of the big prize cards which were given out to the major award-winning exhibits during the parade – it was great for those who received them and a big buzz for the audience to see performers' elation when a card came their way.”

Mr Labey said he had a personal connection to the prize-giving through his father Roy, who was an awards steward at Battle for many years.

“My father rode pillion on a motorbike up and down the Avenue, handing out the cards – it was a big part of the theatre of the event,” he said.

Pictured: 'Carnival Atmosphere' is one of the illustrations produced for Battle by John Syvret.

Prize cards for 2023 will be distributed by a team of runners from Rock 'n' Road, the sports store based at Liberty Wharf which specialises in running kit and footwear.

Mr Syvret, who lives in St Ouen and was formerly an in-house graphic design artist for the Jersey Evening Post during the 1970s and 80s, said he had been delighted to be asked to play a small part in this year's event.

He said: “It's great to see an old tradition coming back – the Battle is all about creativity and these drawings fit in with that and should hopefully contribute to a carnival atmosphere.”

Tickets for this year's event are available via the Battle website.