The Battle Of Flowers
The first ever Battle of Flowers was on the 9th of August 1902 it was held to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
It was a flower parade with horse-drawn floats where flowers were thrown to the ladies or gentlemen in the crowd. These spectators sometimes decided to throw the flowers back and a Battle of Flowers started. This flower throwing festival was so enjoyable it was decided to repeat the event and it was then held annually.
The Battle Of Flowers Jersey
The Battle of Flowers stopped during the First World War but was revived in 1926. Partly due to the long break during the First World War its popularity had declined, although an annual event continued to take place right up until World War II when Jersey was occupied by Hitler’s Army.
After the Second World War and the liberation of Jersey there was no Battle of Flowers until 1951 when a group of Jersey businessmen decided it was time to revive this uniquely Jersey festival. The revived Battle of Flowers in 1951 was a great success.
A Battle of Flowers Float
The next year (1952) was the Battle’s Golden Jubilee and coincided with the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. Because of this it was decided the Battle should be bigger and better and one hundred floats took part many of them motorised.
In the 1960’s and 70’s the Battle of Flowers continued to grow and during the 1960’s it had up to 60,000 spectators.
A Battle of Flowers Entertainer
In 1964 the throwing of flowers stopped as there were concerns about injury and unruly behaviour but the name The Battle of Flowers continues.
Today the Battle of Flowers is the highlight of the Jersey summer and is a major community project where everyone gives there time freely to produce this floral extravaganza. It is a very popular event with over 30,000 people attending each year.
Entertainers in the Moonlight Parade
The Battle as it is known locally takes place on the 2nd Thursday of August, with a moonlight parade the next evening.
The Battle celebrated its centenary in 2002 and today includes music from local and international bands, street entertainers, funfairs and majorettes, with celebrity appearances.
There is a Miss Battle who is the winner of a local beauty contest who rides in her own purpose built float with a Mr Battle who is a visiting celebrity. There is a fireworks display in the evening at the end of the Battle.
The Moonlight Parade
There is a Moonlight Parade held at night where the floats are decorated with thousands of lights creating an enchanting and truly magical sight. There is a large firework display at the end of the Moonlight Parade as a fitting finale to this very special end unique event.
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