Jersey’s Battle of Flowers Parade has been cancelled this year due to “insurmountable” financial challenges, organisers have confirmed.
The event – once deemed a leading tourist attraction for our sister island – could be replaced by “alternative floral-based projects” instead.
In a statement, Jersey’s Battle of Flowers Association said “…the financial and corporate governance challenges facing the Battle organisation, stemming from the actions of the current board of directors and staff, have proven insurmountable”.
While it used to be an event that visitors, including those from our Bailiwick, would flock to, Jersey’s Battle of Flowers has been facing financial struggles for years – with its Government grant increasing from £84k in 2020 to £270k for last year’s event, which featured UK music stars Sam Ryder and Marti Pellow.
The organisation had been struggling to keep the event afloat financially, and had engaged in a series of meetings and set up a working group to try and save the event.
The decision has now been taken to cancel it for 2025 with “alternative floral-based projects, which will be financially supported, to help maintain interest and engagement among teams for this year” suggested instead.
Other ideas include holding other celebrations on the traditional Battle of Flowers date (early August), as well as Halloween and Christmas events.
“These initiatives aim to keep the spirit of Battle alive and provide opportunities for exhibitors and the community to come together,” the Battle of Flower stalwarts suggested.
Jersey’s Battle of Flowers Chairman Russell Labey commented: “Whilst it’s disappointing that the Battle of Flowers will not go ahead this year it is sensible to take the time to secure a lasting future for the event.
“The parade in 2024 with twelve parish participation brought even more communities together in the creative endeavour of float-building and a fuller event with more entertainment proved a big hit with audiences.
“A safe and successful event of this scale must be matched with the people, professionals and resources required. The task now is to put those in place and come back stronger in 2026.”
For those who have not attended a Battle of Flowers in Jersey it may be hard to comprehend the scale of the event, when compared to Guernsey’s.
While the Sarnian floral displays feature as part of the island’s North Show, Jersey’s Battle of Flowers was a stand alone event with other attractions developed around it.
Guernsey’s Battle of Flowers has faced challenges over the past 50 years with entrants now much smaller than those seen in the 1960s which culminated in an actual battle where the floats were stripped of flowers.
Entrants in Guernsey’s Battle of Flowers in more recent years have included decorated small motorised vehicles, bicycles, and wheelchairs, along with some larger floats utilising trailers and trucks. They are paraded around the show ground in Saumarez Park during the afternoon of day 2 of the North Show before the floodlit parade that night.
Meanwhile, Jersey’s Battle of Flowers’ much larger floats would travel to the Battle arena in timed convoys along closed roads, with hundreds of volunteers working together to put the finishing touches to them.
Jersey Battle-goers also used to strip the floats of their blooms in years gone by, but that practice stopped around the same time as it did in Guernsey.
