TODAY’S revamped Battle of Flowers is the first parade in a new five-year grand plan which aims to make the historic event ‘bigger and better’ than ever.
This year is the first in the event’s history when the day parade will take place on Friday and the Moonlight Parade on Saturday, a decision made by organisers to try to reinvigorate Battle and attract larger crowds.
The Moonlight Parade will mark another first for the Island when 100 drones take to the skies above St Aubin’s Bay for what is being billed as a spectacular lights display.
Battle of Flowers Association chair Russell Labey said he had rejected suggestions to scale down the 2023 celebrations.
Mr Labey, a former Deputy and Housing Minister, added that he hoped a number of innovations introduced this year – including the rescheduling of the parade and the inclusion of the drone show – would help make the event a success, following lower turnouts in recent years.
He said organisers expected tomorrow’s drone show to be a big draw, adding: ‘That’s what we suspect. People stop me on the street and talk about the drones.
‘I think it’s made a big impact. Usually, it’s the conversation opener.
‘I’m really excited about the drones making a beautiful pattern in the sky with lights. It’s nice to do something different.’
Meanwhile, float builders were last night hard at work putting the final touches to their displays, which will parade along the Avenue from 5pm. (See story on page 6.)
After receiving their flowers on 3 August, teams of as many as 100 people have given up their days and evenings to build 24 floats (22 competing and two association floats).
Mr Labey said: ‘When I started, a number of otherwise intelligent people suggested that perhaps we should scale down the event. I couldn’t disagree more. Scaling down would take us in the wrong direction to a possible fatal conclusion. I think we have got to scale up. We want to make it bigger and better at the start of our new five-year plan.’
He drew attention to other changes this year designed to build on the event’s engagement with the Island community. These included working with La Moye Prison, whose vocational services team are growing plants for one of the floats, and engaging with the Ukrainian community who are represented for the first time. Both initiatives, he said, demonstrated the value of the battle to Jersey in ‘bringing communities of all ages and backgrounds together’.
‘As I visit the sheds ahead of the event, this kind of engagement is happening all the time,’ he added. ‘Battle has always been diverse and inclusive long before those terms entered common parlance. We have around 2,500 volunteers coming together to help make the event happen and that is gold dust for community cohesion.’
The association floats will feature live music from Jersey-based Beatles tribute band The Beantles and Notting Hill Carnival band Flagz, among others.
Mr Labey said: ‘I wanted to do live music because I think everybody responds to live musical entertainment and singing live.’
He added that the flowers used – including hare’s tails and millet seeds – had gone up in price, ‘along with everything else’, and that they were exploring ways to grow more of the flowers used in Jersey.
Asked about how ticket sales had gone this year, Mr Labey responded: ‘Our biggest day for sales is on the day because a lot of people check the weather. The weather looks ok. Some stands are full but there is some availability.’
He reminded spectators that they could buy standing tickets on the day, with children going free, adding: ‘I have judged for years. They offer me a ticket but I give it back. I prefer standing.’
Audiences will also be the judge of whether this year’s battle has been a success, with feedback sought through a post-event questionnaire.
