Salisbury Cathedral's Flower Festival RETURNS in 2025 🌸
Over 100 flower arrangers gathered at Salisbury Cathedral on Saturday to launch Flower Festival: The Spirit Of Water, the Cathedral’s 2025 Flower Festival.
The Festival, which is being designed by Michael Bowyer MBE, Salisbury Cathedral’s Creative Director of Flowers, and floral designer Debbie Wadge, will take place from 13 – 18 May next year.
The theme of The Spirit of Water will see over 30,000 blooms across an array of arrangements, depicting water in its many settings - from displays representing ‘a world without water’ and semi-dry locations, to a journey along a ‘river of flowers’ and even an ‘ice’ display. A display depicting the seabed will include hundreds of fish made by local community groups.
Above the Nave there will be an installation of woven willow ‘raindrops’, providing a spectacular canopy down the length of the Cathedral, while at the high altar, a huge ‘wave’ of woven cane will provide a focal point for visitors. Both these works will be created by a team led by Somerset-based florist and designer Nicky Heal, who teaches willow weaving at Bicton College.
Elsewhere, umbrellas, cascading with flowers, will float above the North Transept and the South Transept will see a depiction of the five rivers that meet at Salisbury. There will also be displays in the Chapter House and Cloisters.
The Flower Festival involves a huge range of volunteers, with arrangers from churches and flower clubs from across the South West, as well as students from the Academy of Floristry in Bournemouth and Kingston Maurward College in Dorset.
Michael Bowyer MBE, the Cathedral’s Creative Director of Flowers, is also a Royal Horticultural Society judge and President of the South West area of the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies. He said:
“It is wonderful to be planning next year’s Flower Festival. Churches and flower clubs from across the diocese and region have been invited to participate and it was exciting to share our ideas with them at this weekend’s launch.”
Susan Branch, Salisbury Cathedral’s Flower Administrator, said:
“Preparing for the Flower Festival is a huge undertaking, involving hundreds of volunteers and the team at the Cathedral. It is exciting to begin this work for next year and we are looking forward to sharing our plans with everyone.”
Salisbury Cathedral’s Flower Festivals have become a highlight of the events calendar in the south, with more than 15,000 people attending in previous years, travelling from across the UK. Tickets for Flower Festival: The Spirit of Water are available to purchase now via the Cathedral’s website, with adult tickets at £17, groups of 10 or more at £15 and young people under 18 at £7. For those looking for a special experience, tickets to the Festival Preview on Monday 12 May are also available, offering an opportunity to view the Festival displays ahead of the general public, with the addition of a complimentary drink and live music.
More information and tickets can be found at www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/flower-festival/