Although there is no Spalding Flower Parade this year, there will still be plenty to see and do at Springfields Festival Gardens and Events Arena over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
The charity organisation, Springfields Horticultural Society has for many years been the main organiser of the Flower Parade, and the Society’s Events Arena was the start and end point for the parade.
As there will be no parade this year, the trustees of the Society have decided that they wish to ensure that the tulip growing heritage of Spalding and South Holland, the uniqueness of the parade floats and the community engagement linked to the parade are not lost altogether, and therefore the Society will be holding a “Tulipmania” celebration as part of its 2014 Springfields Festival.
The Springfields Festival & Tulipmania event will be held on Saturday and Sunday and will include bulb displays in the gardens, craft fair, trade stands and other displays.
On Sunday, more 200 cars will participate in the increasingly popular Springfields Classic Car Show.
As part of the new Tulipmania celebration, two or three of the 2013 parade floats will be decorated in freshly picked tulip heads (to ensure that the link to the parade’s 55 year float heading tradition is maintained).
The floats, and other static features, will be on display in Springfields Arena throughout the weekend, and there will be a tulip heading demonstration to show visitors the techniques that were involved in creating the parade’s spectacular floats.
Entry on Saturday is £4 for adults and £3 for senior citizens. Tickets for Sunday (incorporating the classic car show) are £3 for adults and £2 for senior citizens.
For accompanied children under 16, entry on both days is free.
The event is open from 9am to 5pm on Saturday and from 10am to 4pm on Sunday.
There will also be regular performances of the musical water fountains in the gardens and the Springfields Train taking trips around the gardens as well as children’s fun-fair rides in the Events arena.
