Chichester Cathedral’s Festival of Flowers in numbers: Thousands of blooms and hundreds of volunteers

With more than 50,000 flowers, tens of thousands of expected visitors, and a team of dedicated volunteers working behind the scenes, the scale of Chichester Cathedral’s Festival of Flowers is an extraordinary feat of creativity, community and coordination.

Returning on 3-6 June 2026 for another spectacular celebration of creativity, community and floral artistry, the Festival will transform the 950-year-old Cathedral into a breathtaking floral experience, bringing together professional florists, volunteers, students and makers from across Sussex and beyond.

Behind the beauty lies months of planning, hundreds of helping hands and a remarkable fundraising legacy that has raised more than £1.4 million for the Cathedral since the Festival first began in 1996.

The Festival of Flowers in numbers:

The Scale

• 50,000+ blooms used throughout the Cathedral

• 66 floral displays installed across the historic building

• 4 days of public opening, plus a special preview evening on Tuesday 2 June

• 1 950-year-old Cathedral transformed through flowers, creativity and imagination

The People Behind the Festival

• Approximately 120 volunteers creating floral arrangements

• Hundreds more volunteers helping steward and support the event

• Dozens of professional and amateur florists collaborating across Sussex

• More than 20 students and emerging floral designers contributing to large-scale installations

• 8 local school and colleges taking part

• 15 ‘Men in Sheds’ makers creating props and structures for displays

Visitors & Reach

• Expected to welcome 10,000+ visitors across four days

• Attracts visitors from across the UK and overseas

• Thousands of photographs, shared moments and memories created throughout the Festival

Fundraising Impact

• £1.4 million+ raised for the Cathedral since 1996

• Around £186,000 raised after costs at the previous 2024 Festival

• Celebrating 30 years of the Festival of Flowers

Planning & Build

• 18 months of planning involving florists, designers, sponsors and logistics teams

• Just 2 days to install the entire Festival before opening

• Hundreds of hours of volunteer time behind the scenes

Tea, Cake & Community

• More than 8,000 cups of tea enjoyed by visitors and volunteers

• Thousands of slices of cake served

Philippa Lane, Festival of Flowers Coordinator said:

“The Festival of Flowers is a huge undertaking, but it’s also a remarkable community achievement. From the florists and volunteers to the visitors who travel from near and far, the Festival brings people together in a truly special way. The numbers tell part of the story - but the atmosphere, creativity and joy experienced inside the Cathedral are what make it unforgettable.”

The Festival of Flowers continues to be one of the region’s most anticipated cultural and community events, celebrating artistry, heritage and the enduring power of people coming together to create something extraordinary.

For more information and to book tickets, visit: https://www.chichestercathedral.org.uk/events/festival-flowers-2026