Newsletter June 2008
Christchurch’s first Ellerslie International Flower Show shaping up to be best yet
June has been a busy month finalising details for next March’s Ellerslie International Flower Show. Both the Christchurch Festival of Flowers and costume and fabric artist Jenny Gillies have this month partnered with Ellerslie. This is fantastic news for Christchurch and both events.
The Festival of Flowers will extend its season to 16 March, the 25-day festival culminating with the renowned floral carpet in the ChristChurch Cathedral during the five days Christchurch hosts the first Ellerslie International Flower Show.
Next year’s Festival of Flowers celebrates 20 years, so the partnership is a fitting celebration – both events promoting Christchurch’s Garden City image. As well as bringing back the popular Avon floral floats, next year’s Festival will also introduce a number of exciting new events.
Internationally renowned designer Jenny Gillies is creating a new “wacky, wilful and wondrous” floral artwear collection which she will unveil at the Show. Wearable Weeds will be the Christchurch designer’s second floral collection at Ellerslie.
She chose weeds for her new collection as although they are a nuisance, she says they can also be objects of beauty and fascination, lending them to being a colourful and wacky presentation as a show of floral weed costumes. Jenny will stage her show three times daily at Ellerslie.
This month we have also finalised details for Ellerslie to each year gift an award-winning exhibition garden to Christchurch. This legacy of gardens will be installed in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, forming an avenue of courtyard gardens along the boundary with Christ’s College – right next door to the Show venue.
This will provide the city with a lasting Ellerslie showcase for international tourists and visitors to Christchurch to enjoy the design excellence and innovation for which Ellerslie is renowned.
The first garden to be installed will be the one being created in 2009 by the award-winning Botanic Gardens team who last year won Ellerslie’s inaugural National Flower Bed Competition in Auckland.
Response from potential exhibitors at next March’s Show has been phenomenal, the organisers struggling to accommodate the high interest in the event.
The Hort Galore marquee is already “full to bursting at the seams” and the number of confirmed exhibition gardens – nine months out from the Show – is already more than the total number at last year’s event in Auckland.
This support is outstanding – the organisers saying the 2009 Show is shaping up to be the best yet.
Two successful Public Information Days were held earlier in this month with more than 240 residents attending to find out more about Ellerslie. The overwhelming response was that Ellerslie was “just what the city needs” and people couldn’t wait until March next year. There was also a lot of interest from people wanting to be involved in the Show as a volunteer. This grassroots support is important for the success of Ellerslie.
Issues discussed at the open days included traffic management and parking, site remediation and the timing of the Show.
Don’t forget tickets for the Show go on sale on 21 July – check out the website: www.ellerslieflowershow.co.nz Those who purchase their tickets before 15 February 2009 will make a 20% savings on the full ticket price. The Early Bird Special is $28, with ticket prices after 15 February 2009 being $35. There are special senior citizens prices of $24 and group discounts for 20 or more of $22 before 15 February. Christchurch ratepayers will be offered a special ticket price of $22 in September.
I look forward to announcing a number of other exciting, new initiatives next month.
Regards
BOB PARKER
MAYOR OF CHRISTCHURCH
