News

The Winchester Cathedral Flower Festival will return this year from the 15th – 19th September and will once again see the Cathedral transformed by striking and fragrant floral designs and installations. 

Last held at the Cathedral in 2018, the festival is being organised by members from the Wessex and Jersey NAFAS. Each of the displays will tie in with the festival’s theme of ‘Resonance’ which is all about how memories, some we didn’t even know we had, are triggered by our senses – touch, taste, smell, sight and sound. 

Thousands of blooms will fill Winchester Cathedral with spectacular contemporary installations. The stunning light and open architecture will provide an ideal environment to showcase beautiful and imaginative displays designed by the internationally renowned Pip Bensley as Creative Director, assisted by Debbie Wadge, Mal Smith and Martina Coleman and interpreted by a team of experienced floral artists from across the South. 

Pip Bensley, Creative Director said, “The designs for this year’s Flower Festival are thoughtful and reflective of the losses and sacrifices so many have made following the pandemic. We are celebrating the healing effect of a flower in your hand, and how important even the simplest flowers foraged on daily walks have been to our lives over the past year and a half. We’re very excited to reveal further details about the displays which will be contemporary, creative and interpretative”.

The festival will be held from the 15th -19th September, with a special preview evening taking place on Tuesday 14th September, where visitors can enjoy drinks and canapés whilst getting the exclusive opportunity to see the beautiful blooms on display before the event opens to the public.

Alison Evans, COO at Winchester Cathedral said, “This beautiful exhibition of thousands of flowers inspired by the architecture of the Cathedral will result in a truly spectacular event. We look forward to welcoming visitors from both near and far to the Cathedral for this year’s Flower Festival, where we are sure they will discover a joy for all the senses and experience the wonder of this fantastic building in a special way.”

Ticket prices range from £5 – £12 with a variety of concessions available and can be booked via the Winchester Cathedral website.