The Manchester Flower Show (BID/CITYCO)
- Date & Time
- Venue
- Manchester City Centre
This year’s Manchester Flower Show (2nd-5th June) was a very special affair. Flower displays, gardens and blooms celebrated the Queen’s 70 years of service. Across the extra-long Platinum Jubilee weekend, shop windows, squares, streets, and even statues went green (and red, and white, and blue).
It was free, it was floral, and there was a whole heap of alfresco food, drink and fun to be had at the city’s favourite shops, bars and restaurants.
This now-annual event is coordinated by Manchester BID and CityCo in support of our membership networks, to attract footfall, and to continue to share positive PR about our vibrant city centre, post-pandemic.
With huge thanks to the CityCo and BID members, artists, florists, community groups, retailers, hospitality venues and businesses that took part.
And to our 2022 event and media partners Marketing Manchester, Manchester City Council, Metrolink and The Manc.
Fancy taking part next year?
Drop a note to the event producer Gary Williams: events@cityco.com
2022 Success Stats
- The event attracted 70,000 extra visitors
- Footfall exceeded pre-pandemic May bank holiday figures of 2019
- The city’s iconic shopping street, King Street, saw a 50% increase in footfall, compared to 2019
- 109 pieces of coverage, including features in the I Paper, Guardian, Metro, BBC Radio Manchester, Manchester Evening News, The Manc
- £630,000 AVE (advertising value equivalent)
Digital Campaign (2022)
- 120,000 website views
- 1.8 million paid digital impressions
- 376,519 organic digital reach
The Festival Online
- themanchesterflowershow.com
- FB/themanchesterflowershow
- Twitter/MCRFlowerShow
- Instagram/themanchesterflowershow
- 2022 Festival Map/Leaflet
The Queen’s Jubilee Trail
There were 10 professionally-designed displays to be discovered:
- The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Urban Garden in St Ann’s Square
- The Crown Jewels at Royal Exchange
- Horse Play on King Street
- Changing the Guard in St Ann’s Square
- The Ju-Bee-Lee Garden on King Street
- Queen of Pop on New Cathedral Street
- The Jubilee Kiosk on King Street
- The Commonwealth Tuk-Tuk on New Cathedral Street
- The Crown in Manchester Arndale
- Queen Bee in Manchester Arndale
Other Festival Zone Displays
Visitors could come across all manner of surprising floral, garden and green displays in the BID retail area:
Austen & Blake, Caroline Dowsett at 11 York Street, Flowers From the Farm, Franco Manca, Giraffe Flowers, Groundwork, In our Nature, Ikebana, Horsfall Gallery, HSBC, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, King Street Townhouse, King Street Manchester/DS Emotion, Kuoni, LUSH, Make A Scene, Manchester International Fashion Festival, National Trust, Natural Fleur, Neal’s Yard Remedies, Olive, Fig & Daisy, Orbit Developments, Park Range Yarn Bombers, Stock Exchange Hotel, The Corn Exchange, The Pinnacle, The Printworks, The Royal Exchange and Tom Jameson.
City-Wide Fringe Displays
Visitors could also step out of the main festival zone to find floral displays across the city, with gardens, flowers and activities at various locations:
- A British Welcome, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel
- Blossoming Big Red Bus, Circle Square
- Derek Jarman Pocket Park & Afternoon Tea, Manchester Art Gallery
- Floral Crown Workshops, HATCH
- Floral Playhouse, Great Northern Warehouse
- Giraffe Flowers, Dakota Hotel
- Greening the Mews, Great Northern Warehouse
- Live the Wild Life, MeadowSide, Angel Meadows
- Liz Vicious, The Punk Queen of First Street
- Piccadilly Basin, Town Centre Securities
- Planting Stories, Science and Industry Museum
- Queen of the Citi, One Piccadilly Gardens
- Sommer Display, Albert’s Schloss
- Summer Garden, Hyatt Manchester Hotel
- Sunflower Meadow, NOMA
- Sustainable Blooms with Bruntwood, Manchester One
- The Oast House
- The Refuge
- We’re All Queens, Northern Flower
Manchester Flower Show Cocktail Trail
Bars and restaurants around the BID retail and leisure area celebrated with special floral-themed cocktails:
- All Bar One, King Street
- El Gato Negro, King Street
- Franco Manca, King Street
- Grand Pacific, Spring Gardens
- Habas, Brown Street
- Harvey Nichols Second Floor Deli
- Harvey Nichols x Manchester Gin Bar, New Cathedral Street
- Kala, King Street
- Kuoni Mocktail, King Street
- Miller & Carter, King Street
- Pot Kettle Black, Barton Arcade
- Rosso, Spring Gardens
- Starbucks, St Ann’s Square
- Tast Catala, King Street
- The Botanist, Deansgate
- Urban Playground, Manchester Arndale
Alfresco Food & Drink
Selfridges celebrated by bringing botanical beauty to Exchange Square. ‘Flower Show Square’ hosted the event’s main stage, with live music and talks, an outdoor bar, and food from Hello Oriental, Gooie and Ginger’s Comfort Emporium.
Harvey Nichols and Manchester Gin hosted the ‘Gin Bar’ on New Cathedral Street. Visitors enjoyed specially-curated menu of cocktails featuring stunning summer flavours.
Other BID hospitality venues also celebrated, coming out to offer outdoor eats and drinks in the sunshine. Including El Gato Negro, Franco Manca, McDonald’s, Pot Kettle Black, Sandinista, Starbucks and Tast Catala.
Flower and Craft Market
Visitors were also be able to pick up a floral keepsake from Flower Show stalls on Market Street.
Marketing & PR Campaign
The festival was supported by a full multi-channel marketing campaign in partnership with Visit Manchester, Manchester City Council and Metrolink (Transport for Greater Manchester). The festival artwork was a tribute to the Queen’s Coronation bouquet.
Marketing coverage included:
- City digital screen advertising
- Tram network advertising
- Digital media brand toolkit
- Digital portal at visitmanchester.com
- Social media
- PR
Previous Reporting
Footfall (2021)
- Bank Holiday weekend footfall LEVEL with 2019
- Footfall +23% compared to the week prior to the event
Digital Campaign Results (2021)
- +90,000 website views to visitmanchester.com/flowershow
- 2 million social media reach
- 1,345,352 paid digital impressions
- 658,781 organic digital reach
Press Coverage (2021)
- £730,000 AVE (advertising value equivalent) of coverage across 73 pieces of coverage.
- Including features in all local press, The Sunday Telegraph, The Independent and a live broadcast on North West Tonight
- Press Coverage Report (2021)
Manchester BID
Manchester Business District is a consortium of 400 leading retail and hospitality brands in the city centre. The BID is managed by The City Centre Management Company, CityCo. Businesses voted-in the BID in 2013, and pay a levy to help fund City Hosts (tourist information officers), customer service, promotional and operational projects that support the vibrancy of the city centre. £6million is being invested in the second term of the BID (2018-23).
The BID will go to ballot for a third term in December 2022.
Over the past 24 months the BID has supported businesses around lockdown, reopening guidance, legislation and licensing advice, outdoor seating permits, security, policing, Council and transport briefings, tourism campaigns, and government lobbying on a regional and national level for retail and hospitality industries.
The BID’s annual event programme includes Halloween in the City and The Manchester Flower Show, alongside collaborating with partners on other major events including Chinese New Year, Pride and student shopping nights in partnership with Manchester Arndale.
