The Shape of Battles to Come

JEP, Battle of Flowers 2025 BOF 2025. Charring Cross, St Helier.

St Helier’s head of engagement and town centre manager Connor Burgher said: “It was good to see town really busy and so many people enjoying themselves.” And St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft hailed the event as a “tremendous success”.

The model for the Battle of Flowers on the Avenue, with road closures, ticket sales, the cost of erecting stands and chairs, the logistics of policing it, has meant that it has become unsustainable. Bringing in pop stars and music events increased the cost, but also increased the deficit even more. As a business model it just no longer works. The decline in tourism and attendance and the cost of importing flowers (originally, it will be remembered, home grown) means it has been becoming a bottomless pit for funding, whose cost benefits in attracting tourists to Jersey, just no longer works.

Back in the old days, rather like Guernsey's Battle, it was held at Springfield and was much more low key, but still attracted crowds.

The revamped town format, taking it to the streets, is much better than that. It will still need States funding, but the fact that it is free and in St Helier, makes it much more of a spectator draw. And while it is free, that footfall will be drawn to St Helier, to shops and cafes, and boost the town economy. That in turn will feed back through GST into the Island's economy, helping to offset that subsidy, while at the same time, helping business in town - and that needs all the help it can get. 

The weekend arrangement - Friday late afternoon and Saturday night - also is much better for drawing in crowds, and that should certainly stay.

So to sum up, here are key indicators for the town display:

• Footfall for Local Businesses: Spectators drawn to the parade often shop, eat, or linger in the area, benefiting cafés, boutiques, and market stalls.
• Low-Cost Tourism Appeal: A free event is accessible to all, including visitors who might not otherwise spend time in the town.
• Preserves Traditions: If tied to seasonal or historical customs, it helps keep cultural heritage alive in a visually engaging way.

Now if the floats are smaller, what about using fields that have been left fallow or are no longer farmed for at least some of the flowers?

This would mean a lower Carbon Footprint as it would eliminate emissions from long-distance transport and refrigeration. It would boost biodiversity, supporting pollinators and enrich local ecosystems. And this use of land could also regenerate fallow fields, improving soil health and providing a good visual appeal.. The Battle communities would also be able to be involved as well as schools, and rather than just relying on imports, this would strengthens local pride with its connection to the older Battle tradition.

Now there are challenges - finding fields which could be rented at a peppercorn rent (but which would be fallow or unused anyway). And growing flowers demands time, expertise, and seasonal care. There would also be (as there used to be) having to learn again to synchronise bloom times with Parade dates . And of course, especially with climate change, local crops are vulnerable to drought and storms, which could jeopardize supply.

So perhaps a hybrid approach would work - Grow Some, Source Some. This would mean growing  hardy, long-lasting varieties locally (e.g. marigolds, dahlias, sunflowers)., but still importing some other blooms. Some flowers could also be dried and used for background texture in floral displays.