(Open 4 days - Thursday to Sunday)

Thursday 21 August

9am - 6pm

Friday 22 August

9am - 7pm

Saturday 23 August

9am - 7pm

Sunday 24 August

10am - 5pm

Buy tickets for 2008 in advance and SAVE £3.00

Home > About Us

About Us

Southport Flower Show is one of the most spectacular and inspirational events for everyone interested in the latest ideas and designs for homes, gardens and lifestyle.

It provides a horticultural hotbed of activity for the beautiful seaside resort and held in 34 beautiful acres of Victoria Park is transformed into a haven for families wanting a memorable day out.

In addition to marvelling at over one million blooms, celebrity gardeners will be on hand offering hints and tips and you can taste some of the region's finest food, with creative advice at the many cookery demonstrations.

When it's time to sit and rest, enjoy an entertainment programme that includes live music, falconry and acrobatic displays. With an area dedicated for children, there are plenty of fun and educational activities for them to enjoy too.

Southport Flower Show, so much more than flowers!

Victoria Park is accessible to everyone and with a great deal of the show under cover, is designed to be enjoyed whatever the weather.

Children under 16 are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.

The History

Hailed 'the garden by the sea', Southport's jewel in the crown has always been its annual flower show, which has a long and proud history of displaying the finest horticulture in the north.

Southport Flower Show, the largest independent flower show in the country, had its seeds sown in 1924. Originally staged by the local council, the show was privatised in 1986 and continues to flourish under the management of the Southport Flower Show company.

The brainchild of Alderman, Charles Aveling, the first show was blessed with glorious sunshine and the Lord Mayor of Liverpool exclaimed, "Happy is the flower show on which the sun shines!"

It attracted over 40,000 visitors and was hailed 'Southport's Great Show'. As well as masses of vivid, fragrant blooms, the show contained elaborate table decorations, vegetables and fruit, and the 'horse leaping event' was a great hit. The show provided a great boost for Southport in terms of publicity, prestige and image and became a permanent fixture each August at Victoria Park.

By the outbreak of World War II, the show had blossomed into the largest flower show in the world but was suspended during the war years while gardeners concentrated their green fingers on the 'Dig for Victory' war effort.

The shows recommenced in 1947 and have gone from strength to strength, at times enjoying royal patronage. The Queen Mother was the patroness from 1935 to 1952 and Lady Pilkington was also a patron for a number of years.

Celebrities from showbusiness, horticultural and sporting worlds have opened the show, including Frank Bruno, Thora Hird, Rolf Harris and Alan Titchmarsh. The highest attendance was in 1961 when 131,000 people visited the show. However, in 1986, show organisers Sefton Borough Council, decided they could no longer afford to stage it.

A group of local businesses and gardeners came to the rescue by forming the Southport Flower Show Company. Within five years attendances topped 100,000 and the Show's future was given extra security when Sefton Council granted the Company a 60-year lease on the 34-acre show site in 1994 for a token rent of one bouquet, which is presented each year to the mayor/mayoress of Sefton on the first day of the show.

Since then, the Company has invested millions of pounds in renovations and maintenance of Victoria Park.

Special thanks go to Dennis Hudson who supplied information on the history of the Show.