Thousands of spectators flooded the pavements of Victoria Avenue for the Battle of Flowers events this weekend – with organisers already looking ahead to the 2027 edition with the hopes of it remaining a free spectacle.
After a scaled-down parade last year through the town streets of St Helier, a much grander carnival returned to its traditional home on the Avenue.
From Disney classics to the Roaring 20s, Islanders enjoyed over 24 float entries, live entertainment and character performances with no admission costs.
A few additional changes were introduced this year compared to previous Battle of Flowers parades. World Cup-inspired hydration breaks were put in place for performers and volunteers as temperatures hit around 28 degrees for Friday’s day parade. The procession was also a “one-pass parade” between the west end of Lower Park and the Rue du Galet junction.
The Optimists Club stole the show by taking home the Prix d’Honneur award for their float inspired by the Disney movie Brave, including Castle DunBroch, bagpipes and Princess Merida.
Martyn Maguire, chair of the Battle of Flowers Association, said “The crowds were absolutely fantastic and the support they’ve shown for Battle is really heart-warming. We were exceptionally lucky with the weather and exceptionally lucky with the crowds we had.”
Mr Maguire estimated that the Avenue welcomed around 10,000 to 12,000 people to the Grand Day Parade, describing it as “fantastic and superb”.
“The crowds and the entertainers intermingled beautifully. There was some pre-parade entertainment which got people excited, and in general, the day was well received,” he continued.
The Battle of Flowers Association is already looking forward to next year’s Battle, with the hope to keep it alive and a free parade yet again.
An event debrief meeting will be held later this week with the association calling for Islanders’ feedback through an online survey in order to help allow “battle to stay alive and keep going”.
Mr Maguire praised all helping organisers and volunteers over the weekend and explained a few minor hiccups with technical issues with the floats, which resulted in gapping issues during the day parade.
Despite this, the main setback over the weekend arose due to the cancellation of the highly anticipated firework display, with the association being “desperately disappointed”.
“We had funding set aside for the fireworks, but we diverted that into some special effects and some more confetti for the evening parade. So we did the best we could in the very short time-frame we had.
“We think that this was generally well accepted by the public on the night parade,” Mr Maguire continued.
“From the association a really great big thank you to the Island of Jersey, to our sponsors, to our exhibitors and to all those lovely volunteers who helped us. It was just superb. Thank you.”
