RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival

2nd – 7th July 2024

Visit the world’s largest flower festival at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival (previously known as the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show). In fact this festival was not founded by the RHS but created by Historic Royal Palaces and Network Southeast, and first held in 1990. In 1992 Network Southeast announced that it was withdrawing its subsidy, and the RHS was the successful bidder to take the show over. The first RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show was held in 1993, and it has gone on to become the world’s largest flower show.

Did you know?

• For the first Hampton Court Palace Flower Shows, Network Southeast laid on special trains from Waterloo, and the railway porters all wore carnations in their hats.
• The British Rose Festival was introduced in the second show, in 1991 and the show is now famous for its celebration of the Rose.
• In 1998, a Hampton Court model garden was rebuilt at the Royal Hospital for Neurodisability in Putney.
• In 1998, Leyhill Open Prison won a Gold Medal for a garden at Hampton Court. This incident provided the basis for the film Greenfingers (2001), starring Helen Mirren.
• Area of showground: 34 acres
• Number of days to put show up: 21
• Number of days to take show down: 10
• Exhibitors at first show: 265
• Exhibitors last year: 600

https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events