Parys - Are you a vivacious and artistic Strelizia? An insightful and secretive Arum Lilly? An open and warm Sun Flower?
Or a successful and established King Protea Whatever your personality type The Free State Flower Festival has a bloom for everyone.
Surround yourself with the enchanting beauty of nature, experience a kaleidoscopic of colours and enjoy an array of fresh Spring scents with the much-anticipated Free State Flower Festival.
More than just a great outdoor adventure the Free State Flower Festival taking place on November 11 and 12 sees the vibrant town of Parys come into blossom, attracting tourists and locals alike to enjoy Mother Nature at her grandest and an array of exciting entertainment and activities. Some of the major attractions include 600 performers, five massive floats, giant flowers and fireworks, alongside an amazing floral storytelling precinct.
Those with a love for flowers will bloom at the Flower Forum - a gathering of leading local and international experts from the flower industry; incorporating presentations on local, national and world trends.
Attendees and speakers will include botanists, floriculturists, horticulturists, farmers, retailers and wholesalers. A key theme of the Forum will be the unlocking of flower export opportunities.
Another highlight is the Flower Parade, which promises to be a showstopper on its own. A mesmerising sea of flowers, this tourism highlight event will be an extravaganza of colour, featuring some 600 choreographed performers, adorned in flowers and magnificent floral outfits.
Participants, many of whom will be children, will parade in one choreographed movement, through the main tourism street of Parys. They will be on float processions, in dance groups or featured in spectacular floral displays.
”This event is the brainchild of Free State Premier, Ace Magashule and Madeira President Alberto Joao Jardim and follows a trade visit to the Portuguese island in March this year,” says Free State Tourism Authority CEO, Dhilosen Pillay.
“The event has both trade and tourism benefits. The main objective of the Festival will be to stimulate the flower industry in the province and to fast track opportunities around export. As a tourism authority, we will also use the event to stimulate tourism to the region and draw in thousands of visitors from Gauteng and surrounding provinces to the event.”
Pillay said the bulk of African flower exports into Europe currently emanated from Kenya and it is hoped that through the Madeiran link, the event will unlock critical opportunities for South African growers.
Adapted from a press release for IOL
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