Floriade 2022: Everything you need to know about Holland’s huge garden festival
Held every 10 years in the Netherlands, the colourful flower-trading capital of Europe, Floriade is a huge world horticultural exhibition and the country’s biggest, most spectacular gardening show.
Floriade 2022 will see the return of the festival, when it will open for six months in Almere, near Amsterdam, with a futuristic eco-theme of ‘growing green cities’.
It’s the perfect event for Country Living readers, which is why we’ve created a relaxing railway holiday with a full day at the show exclusively for you. Ahead of the trip, which has dates throughout 2022, from May to October, we thought we'd bring you everything you need to know about the incredible show.
Here you can find out all about this landmark event in the gardening calendar, and how you can visit Floriade 2022 this year.
When is Floriade 2022 and what can I see there?
Starting on 14th April and running until 9th October, the expo will feature 40 unique and fascinating exhibitions inspired by the idea of bringing the countryside into the city.
Visitors to the Floriade Expo will be treated to the sights and smells of some 3,000 trees, shrubs, perennials, creepers, hydrophytes and flower bulbs at this truly unique exhibition.
Set across a vast, 150-acre site, more than 300 eco-homes have been built as part of the show, with plans for the area to be turned into a green residential neighbourhood of 660 homes once it’s finished.
As well as a spectacular, huge greenhouse, there will be a cable car taking you over the park, presentations on sustainability and a programme of arts and culture events.
What can I learn at Floriade 2022?
The focus of Floriade 2022 is on imagining sustainable, healthy city living for the future. The species of plants on display have been chosen for their special qualities, and how they can contribute to a green city space in terms of biodiversity, air purification, food production and city climate management.
Inspiring gardens, conferences, workshops and exhibitions will be mixed with striking attractions and delicious tasting sessions, all in beautifully green surroundings. It’s heaven for garden-lovers!
Functioning as a ‘living laboratory’, Floriade 2022 will be a place to experiment with and discover new eco-technologies - from food and health, to green energy and architecture. The whole site will be an exciting interactive experience, encouraging you to see, smell and taste the future of green cities.
In the arboretum you’ll discover which trees and plants could be used to make cities greener and what role they would play.
Why have they chosen the theme of ‘growing green cities’ for Floriade 2022?
By 2050, researchers predict that 68% of the planet’s population will live in cities, so making them green and pleasant places to live is more important now than ever.
Exhibits and tasting sessions will explore experimental agriculture, and how sustainable food production can become a part of urban spaces as well as the countryside. The latest inventions in generating renewable energy and creating cleaner air will focus on improving people’s mental and physical health - all while eliminating pollution.
How can I visit the Floriade Expo 2022?
You can visit Floriade 2022 on a Country Living rail holiday to the Netherlands this year, between May and October.
As well as spending a day at the Expo, you’ll visit pretty Zaanse Schans, with its windmills, iconic wooden houses and artisan workshops, Volendam, where you will enjoy a special cheese-tasting and wander along the old harbour, and Marken, set on the scenic Markermeer Lake.
Staying in Amsterdam will give you plenty of time to soak up sights and sounds of the capital city, especially during a leisurely cruise along the city's canals.
Visit Floriade 2022 with Country Living on a unique railway holiday for garden and nature-lovers.
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