Chelsea in Bloom 2023

Between Chelsea in Bloom, Belgravia in Bloom and the celebrations around the iconic Chelsea Flower Show, London is truly awash with flowers and looking totally gorgeous right now.

Of all the cities I know well, London is the one that seems to me to be the most in love with flowers. It takes very little to encourage us to pop up a floral arch or transform a shop front with beautiful real or artificial flowers. That said, Chelsea in Bloom, hosted in conjunction with the Chelsea Flower Show every year, takes it to another level.

There is a themed display of thousands of flowers and competition is fierce to win awards including Best Floral Display and the People’s Champion award every year. This year the Best Floral Display was won by 11 Cadogen Gardens, where we often stay when visiting the capital. It’s one of my favourite London hotels.

Chelsea in Bloom – 2023 Theme

The theme of this year’s festival is Flowers on Film. Floral displays celebrating iconic movies are everywhere. Even the street corners are festooned with flowers. There are floral archways everywhere, on street corners, shop fronts and at the entrance to Duke of York Square.

Floral Displays

Chances are, one of your favourite films is represented in these beautiful displays. Here are just a few of my favourites from the 2023 Chelsea in Bloom:-

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory features at Peter Jones.

It’s The Wind in the Willows at The Ivy.

I loved the Mary Poppins exhibit, especially the way the display encourages little ones (and not so little ones!) to let their inner child out to play by taking a seat on the carousel horses.

Things to Do at Chelsea in Bloom

Chelsea in Bloom is free to attend. There are also many free and paid events on offer.

There are walking tours and rickshaw tours as well as lots of events in stores. Celebratory themed afternoon teas feature in many restaurants and tea rooms and restaurant menus often offer special dishes or cocktails. Check out the Chelsea in Bloom website for more details.

I walked for well over two hours and still did not manage to see everything at Chelsea in Bloom. I shared a reel on Instagram with some of the highlights which you can find by clicking here.

In 2025, the Chelsea in Bloom runs from 19th to 25th May.