LEAKED documents show that the beleaguered Battle of Flowers spent at least £745,000 on the 2024 parade, including nearly £54,000 on security, £50,000 on marketing and £35,000 on international musical acts, including £30,000 on Eurovision runner-up Sam Ryder.
The Battle of Flowers Association’s 2024 accounts are only complete up to September, with sources suggesting that the final accounts have still not been approved as of March 2025 due to massive debts to suppliers and questions from members about huge annual deficits.
It comes just days after the government confirmed that the 2025 event would not be going ahead due to “the actions of the current board of directors and staff”, according to a statement by a strategy group set up to save the Battle.
“Despite these efforts, the financial and corporate governance challenges facing the Battle organisation, stemming from the actions of the current board of directors and staff, have proven insurmountable,” the statement said.
Asked by the JEP whether it would honour the debts to suppliers, the Economic Development Department said it would not comment beyond its original statement.
“We are working with the Battle to secure its long-term future,” it said.
Meanwhile, figures obtained by the JEP through a Freedom of Information request show that the association spent £482,079 in 2023 and made a loss of £80,773 despite a £150,000 government grant.
This grant almost doubled to £270,000 for the 2024 event.
In its FoI response, the government said it did not have a copy of the 2024 accounts.
Together, the accounts for the last three years lift the lid on how the secretive organisation spent hundreds of thousands of pounds more than it made on ticket sales.
Efforts to bring high-profile acts to the Island to boost sales failed, leaving the association saddled with increasing debt.
It also showed the huge cost of facilities such as seating and security, both of which were criticised in the wake of the 2024 Battle of Flowers.
Some Islanders were angered by the organisers’ ban on event-goers bringing their own chairs and hiring a UK security firm.
Security cost five times as much in 2024 as it did in 2023.
Arena seating alone cost £160,000 in 2024 and £151,917 in 2023, while the Little Gig concert in the Lower Park cost over £150,000. In 2024, the bulk of the £35,000 fee for live acts – £30,000 – went to Sam Ryder, while the Queen tribute band, UK Queen, earned £5,000.
With the future of the event now uncertain, Battle of Flowers chairman Russell Labey has said that ensuring the long-term survival of the event will require “people, professionals and resources”.
An extraordinary meeting of exhibitors and members was due to be held this evening at Grouville Parish Hall.
