The Manchester Flower Festival will be making its return to the city over the late May Bank Holiday, this year with a ‘global’ twist.
Running from 23 to 26 May, the 2025 edition takes inspiration from ‘Manchester and Other Great Cities Around the World‘, transforming the city centre into a botanical celebration of global destinations.
Each display on the trail draws on the character of an iconic city, from the cherry blossoms of Osaka to the romance of Paris and the vivid energy of Mumbai.
Now in its eighth year, the festival has become a staple in Manchester’s cultural calendar, attracting tens of thousands of visitors with its mix of floral art, family-friendly workshops, outdoor dining and live entertainment, organised by Manchester City Centre BID on behalf of city centre businesses.
“The Manchester Flower Festival is all about celebrating creativity, community and culture,” said a spokesperson for the BID. “This year’s global theme brings a new layer of discovery to the trail – visitors can take a floral world tour without leaving the city.”
Among the nine headline displays, a serene Japanese scene will mark the connection between Manchester and Osaka, featuring a torii gate framed by hand-painted cherry blossoms and a koi carp pond, set up by the lower mall of the Arndale. Nearby, a celebration of Holi lights up Exchange Street with vivid floral colour, a Bollywood-inspired mannequin and a tribute to Ganesh, symbolising good fortune and unity.
King Street will host two contrasting takes on urban greenery: a Parisian-style Eiffel Tower surrounded by soft-hued blooms, and a tribute to New York’s stoop gardens.
Elsewhere, New Cathedral Street brings the spirit of Marrakech to Manchester with bold planting and a nod to the Majorelle Gardens, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. St Ann’s Square pays tribute to Manchester’s own history as the world’s first industrial city, with displays of lavender and chimney pot planters among structures evoking the city’s past.
At New Cathedral Street, new steak restaurant The Cut & Craft will be hosting a pop-up champagne bar for the celebrations, with Moët, frozen Champagne ices, Champagne sorbets and Champagne cocktails, from 11am daily.
Visitors can enjoy the trail alongside a packed programme of entertainment, with cocktail trails, interactive flower workshops, markets, and live DJs at Selfridges in Exchange Square. Outdoor bars and pop-up gardens will offer plenty of spots to sit and soak in the atmosphere.
The festival runs from 10am to 7pm on 23–25 May and until 5pm on 26 May. Trail maps and full event listings are available at visitmanchester.com.
Read more:
Lina Stores comes to Manchester
Charity status granted for Eat Well MCR
The new NQ music bar putting community first
