The Manchester Flower Festival, produced annually by CityCo on behalf of Manchester City Centre BID, is a vibrant urban celebration marking the start of the summer season.
The festival supports a diverse mix of businesses and has been shown to boost visitor numbers, engagement, and media coverage for Manchester.
During the event, the city centre is transformed into a floral-themed trail, featuring showpieces, green installations, and creative window displays, all designed to showcase Manchester’s retailers, hotels, and attractions.
The festival takes place over the late May Bank Holiday weekend each year and is promoted through an integrated campaign including branding, digital, social media, influencer marketing, print, outdoor and transport advertising, and PR.
The festival and its promotional campaign are delivered in partnership with a wide range of organisations, including Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester, and Marketing Manchester.
2026 Success Stats
- +10% uplift in footfall across the retail district over the weekend and King Street saw a +21% uplift (Download Footfall Success Press Release)
- 117 press articles across online, offline and social clips (Download Press Report)
- Coverage highlights: BBC Breakfast, ITV News, Sainsbury’s Magazine, The Times, The Sunday Times, I News, Independent, BBC Online, Good Food Magazine, English Garden Magazine
- MCR Flower Festival Website views: 108,900
- MCR Flower Festival + Visit Manchester – Paid Digital Impressions: 2,338,195
- MCR Flower Festival + Visit Manchester – Organic digital Impressions: 1,026,739
2025 Success Stats
- +13% uplift in footfall v 2024, over 4-day Bank Holiday across the retail district
- 154 press articles across online, offline and social clips (Download Press Report)
- Coverage highlights: BBC North West Tonight, BBC North West at One, BBC Radio Manchester
- MCR Flower Festival Website views: 119,064
- MCR Flower Festival + Visit Manchester – Paid Digital Impressions: 2,423,158
- MCR Finest Impressions: 204,344
2026 Event Brochure
Download
Event Photography
instagram.com
C: Carl Sudonik / The Vain Photos
Event Videography
instagram.com
C: Chloe Waterhouse / This is Apollo
