| Battle of Flowers | |
|---|---|
 'In Flanders Fields' by The Optimists Club – Winners of 2018 Jersey Battle of Flowers Prix d'Honneur, Spectators' Award and Owen Wiscombe Design Award | |
| Date(s) | Second Friday & Saturday of August each Year |
| Location(s) | Jersey |
| Years active | 122 |
| Inaugurated | 9 August 1902 |
| Attendance | 14,000 |
| Website | www |
The Jersey Battle of Flowers is an annual carnival held in the Channel Island of Jersey on the second Friday and Saturday of August. The festival consists of music, funfairs, dancers, majorettes and a parade of flower floats alongside various street entertainers. It was inaugurated in 1902 to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. The largest attendance to date is thought to be that of 1969 when 60,000 people were present.[1] Current spectator numbers are around 20,000.
The major floats are usually produced by the parishes of Jersey.
The 'Battle' itself originally consisted of dismantling the floats to provide floral ammunition for a literal battle of flowers between participants and spectators, but this aspect has long been abandoned. Since 1989, a nighttime Moonlight Parade with the floats festooned in lights has been introduced. The Moonlight Parade ends with a fireworks display. Recent years have seen higher turnouts to the moonlight parade, which attracts locals as well as tourists possibly due to its party atmosphere.
- ^ "Battle of Flowers". Battle of Flowers. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2011.