Battle of Flowers
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The Jersey Battle of Flowers is an annual carnival held in the Channel Island of Jersey in the second week of August. The festival consists of music, funfairs, dancers, majorettes and a parade of flower floats alongside various street entertainers. It was inaugurated in 1902 to celebrate the Coronation of Edward VII of England. The largest attendance to date is thought to be that of 1969, when - according to the official website - 60,000 people were present.
The major floats, usually produced by the parishes of Jersey, will also be a vessel for the relevant Miss Parish, so Miss St. John will ride on the St. John float. Miss Battle of Flowers, the overall winner of the Miss Parish contests, rides on her own specially made float. Up until this year there was also a Maid of Honour who rode with the Miss Battle but this has now been dropped.
The 'Battle' itself originally consisted of dismantling the floats to provide floral ammunition for a literal battle of flowers between participants and spectators, but this aspect has long been abandoned. Since 1989, a nighttime Moonlight Parade with the floats festooned in lights has been introduced. The Moonlight parade ends with a large fireworks display.
Prizes are awarded in numerous categories, with their names in French, for floats of different sizes and types.
Winners at the 2005 Battle included:
- Prix d'Honneur: The Optimists Club
- Prix d'Excellence: St. Clement
- Grand Prix des Paroisses: Grouville
- Grand Prix des Fleurs: Mary Bidan and Friends
- Prix d'Honneur de Papier: Peter Heath Family and Friends
- Prix de Mérite: Optimists Juniors
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