Things are well on track for a bumper Grahamstown Flower Festival, the annual event that springs to life in the city’s Makana Botanical Gardens in October.
Things are well on track for a bumper Grahamstown Flower Festival, the annual event that springs to life in the city’s Makana Botanical Gardens in October.
Heather Surridge, in her first year as convenor of the festival, said everything is coming together.
Her organising committee is optimistic that, with the co-operation of the weather, it will be a beautifully big and bright event.
No fewer than 18 local gardens across town will be open to festival-goers during the weekend-long event, ranging from small to large gardens, she said. Entry to the gardens will be by donation, the proceeds going to local charities of the home owner’s choice.
Surridge was also pleased with the response from the commercial sector.
“We are thrilled that this year there will be 38 commercial garden stalls spread across the lawns of the botanical gardens. They will be exhibiting and selling just about everything a gardener will want to make his or her garden a pleasure to be in.”
As usual, there will be entertainment for the little ones too. “Besides the very popular and keenly-contested children’s section of the flower competition, we will be holding a treasure hunt on the Saturday afternoon, and this promises to be great fun,” Surridge said.
This year the festival also boasts more workshops than before. Ten in total, ranging from making better use of water tanks to worm farming.
Live musical entertainment will be provided by the Graeme College steel band, Kingswood College jazz band, St Andrew’s College pipe band and St Andrew’s Preparatory marimba band.
The 2013 Grahamstown Flower Festival takes on 5 and 6 October.
For more information and the full programme, visit www.grahamstownflowerfestival.co.za.
