I checked out the cool Manchester Flower Festival complete with colourful odes to Oasis and Caroline Aherne

Rainy, dull and gloomy is the often-used cliche about Manchester and its streets. However, Friday marked the first day of the Manchester Flower Festival, where surely, vibrant displays would blossom around the city? 

The festival is taking place this bank holiday weekend and runs until Monday, May 27. It’s organised annually by Manchester City Centre Business Improvement District and the event has returned for its seventh year, with this year’s theme of celebrating Manc icons.

There are 10 pop-up gardens on display this year, and each one had a unique approach to represent their chosen Manchester-born celebrity or building including Oasis and their ‘Wonderwall’, Caroline Aherne, from artist Stanley Chow, and even Girls Aloud, who are in town on their reunion tour. 

The Floral Marquee on New Cathedral Street hosted an exhibition which intertwined floristry and art in each piece. With the wide range of materials used, each piece burst with life and colour – my favourite was of Dame Vivienne Westwood which used rolled up coloured paper and different flora to create a decorative and eye-catching mural. 

Exchange Square was painted with yellow stalls and flowers – and gnomes. Partnered with Selfridges, the square had become a cheerful hub with a DJ booth and stalls serving food and drinks. It also encouraged people to begin the ‘Gnome Hunt’ around the city for gnome celebrities such as ‘Kylie Mignome’.

St Ann’s Square was alive with stalls and activities, including a sensory garden and play zone for children to enjoy. Even stalls around Manchester got involved with the floral fun with decadent entrance displays. 

From what I saw, the Manchester Flower Festival is so much more than adding flowers into the streets. It's about appreciating art, celebrating the Manc culture, and bringing the community together.

There’s loads of other events going on throughout the weekend including a flower arranging workshop at the Printworks on Saturday and the Manchester Bee Parade for kids on Sunday.

The pop-up gardens and parade are completely free to attend and require no pre-bookings. The workshops need a pre-booking to guarantee a space on the day, which can be booked on the Manchester Flower Festival website.