London’s largest free flower festival is returning to the capital this summer

A general view of the launch of Chelsea in Bloom 2024 with the theme "Floral Feasts" — (Image credit: Dave Benett / Getty Images)

One of the great things about the blue sky is that it heralds the return of Spring and along with the lovely arrival of new flowers shooting up all over your favourite green spaces. Along with the fresh air, pub gardens, and the welcome goodbye of seasonal depression is the return of London’s largest free flower festival, Chelsea in Bloom.

Bringing some of the most stunning floral displays to the city, the festival runs for a limited time every year, bringing colour to the capital. Multiple venues and spaces around the city will be transformed with giant and beautiful floral arrangements – including hotels, pubs, restaurants, and public areas in and around Chelsea.

The festival will be running from 18th to 24th May, and the theme for this year is ‘out of this world’, so we should be in for some pretty special displays. More than 125 brands will be taking part in the festival with their own displays, including RIXO, Trinny London, and Ralph Lauren.

The Chelsea Pensioners attend the launch of Chelsea In Bloom with the theme "Flowers in Fashion" on May 19, 2025 in London, England.

Key spots include Sloane Square, which is set to feature a zodiac constellation installation, a UFO landing display on Pavilion Road, and an immersive lunar landscape on Duke of York Square, to name a few.

Guests in and around the city can experience free walking tours so they don’t miss any of the floral spectacles across London. Plus, visitors can vote for their favourite display for the coveted People’s Champion title. Online voting kicks off on 18th May when the festival begins and will close on 21st May. Other awards are also up for grabs, including Best Floral Display, Highly Commended, as well as Gold and Silver accolades. The deciding panel is made up of lifestyle judges and RHS leaders.

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Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.

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