Flower lovers, media, tourists and visitors are expected to flock to the picturesque town of Parys for the fourth annual Flower Festival. The streets will be bursting with colour as five brightly-coloured flower floats and hundreds of dancers, performers, giant puppets and stilt walkers will take to the town’s main road at about 16:00 on 30 November.
Now in its fourth year, the Free State Madeira Flower Festival has become a highly-anticipated event on the South African calendar.
The festival is a joint venture between the Free State government and the Autonomous State of Madeira, and hosted by The Free State Gambling, Liquor and Tourism Authority.
Created with over 200 000 flowers from flower farmers, the Big 5 Route-inspired floral floats are designed by the Madeiran master floriculturist, João Egídio.
Celebrated for his Madeira Flower Festival crea- tions, Egídio uses his time in South Africa to mentor local up-and-coming flower arrangers in the art of designing floral pieces on a grand scale.
While these grand floral designs are always the stars of the show, there is still plenty more to delight festival-goers. Among last year’s most loved and talked about favourites were the flower carpets portraying Nelson Mandela and Albertina Sisulu as part of the centenary celebrations.
The flower floats:
The five flower floats are designed in the colours of the respective five Tourism Routes of the Free State namely the Lion Route (green,) the Cheetah Route (red,) the Eagle Route (orange,) the Flamingo Route (yellow,) and the Springbok Route (blue.)
Where does the Flower Parade take place?
The festival takes place in Breë Street, the main road of Parys. The street is closed off for the duration of the festival.
The Flower Festival Grounds (Palesa Precinct) is situated at the end of Breë Street, which is locally known as the “Container Mall.” This is a project by the Free State Small Business Development to stimulate the local economy by encouraging entrepreneurial activities.
What to bring with you to the event?
As this is an outdoor event, you should be pre- pared for all eventualities. Also, due to many elements playing a roll in a successful flower festival, things often run later than intended, thus pack snacks and water to tide you over while you wait.
Bring your camera, sunscreen, a hat, water, umbrella or light raincoat and something warm. Wear comfortable shoes as parking may be a problem and you might have to walk a bit.
As Parys is such a beautiful town and the festival ends late afternoon, you should consider spending the night. Book a table at one of the great restaurants and find somewhere to sleep. You can also look forward to an unique late-night shopping expe- rience in the main street of Parys. This is an initiative by We do Deals on Heels and, a not-to-be-missed experience with a truly Parys vibe, with lights and boma fires welcoming residents and tourists. On Sunday, 1 December, Parys will host the Powerboat Festival at Parys Golf & Country Estate
