Discover one of the world’s most prestigious horticultural events.
Few flower festivals are more than one hundred years old. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show takes place each year in May and is one of the world’s most prestigious horticultural events. This year’s event runs from 20 to 24 May 2025 and takes place at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London.
The Chelsea Flower Show brings together garden designs, floral displays, exclusive shopping experiences and stellar guests. Every year, the British Royal Family attend the event to show their support. On the opening day, King Charles III and Queen Camilla are expected to attend and mark the opening of the event.
Chelsea Flower Show history
The first Chelsea Flower Show took place in 1913, and it was called the Great Spring Show. The original show took place in one tent but expanded after the First World War. During the 1930s, rock gardens were a popular feature. After the Second World War and in the 1940s, there were fewer exhibitors and stands.
In 1952, Queen Elizabeth II made her visit to the Chelsea Flower Show as a royal patron, and she went on to hold this position for 70 years. In the 1960s, the first bonsai trees made an appearance at the festival. In the 1970s, the festival became so popular that people had to be turned away. By the 2000s, the marquee was removed and replaced with a pavilion. In 2013, the event celebrated its 100th birthday and cemented its place as one of the world’s longest-running flower festivals.
Chelsea Flower Show 2025
Today, the Chelsea Flower Show is seen as the World Cup of gardening. Leading designers from around the world have created gardens for the Chelsea Flower Show 2025, and the best ones are awarded with prizes.
The floral designs in the Great Pavilion include Elizabeth Newcombe, Georgia Lester, Guan Guan Art Studio, Jade Loftus, Jill Wilton, Karen Rai, Layla Robinson, Mariusz Cwik and Sarah Hinchcliff. The show gardens are Boodles Raindance Garden, Japanese Tea Garden and Save For a Rainy Day Garden.
Chelsea Flower Show’s beloved golden retriever has even joined the fun. Monty Don has created the Radio 2 Dog Garden. Plus, there is an emphasis on how gardens promote wellbeing, which you can see through a creation for children with cancer in A Place To Be, Hospice UK’s Garden of Compassion and more.
This year’s Chelsea Flower Show is set to welcome more than 150,000 visitors. Past celebrity guests included Dame Judi Dench, Hannah Dodd, Joan Collins, and Trinny Woodall. The stage hosts a range of performers, and food and drink spanning Champagne to seafood.
Chelsea Flower Show 2025 tickets are available now.
GO: Visit www.rhs.org.uk for tickets and more information.