Singapore – The sixth edition of premier international garden and flower event, Singapore Garden Festival (SGF), will be held from 23 to 31 July 2016. Marking 10 years since it started in 2006, it is set to be the largest SGF ever.
Organisers said on Tuesday (July 12) that the venue will be turned into a magical wonderland, with more than 70 garden and floral displays stretching across 9.7 hectares.
The return of SGF 2016 was announced by Minister for National Development, Mr Lawrence Wong, who helped to complete the world’s Largest floral chandelier – put together by more than 260 students, community gardeners, corporate volunteers and NParks staff over five days.
This world’s Largest floral chandelier hangs from a height of 13m, measures about 17m by 10m, is made from over 60,000 flowers, and will be displayed at Marina Square Atrium until 3 April 2016.
Over the nine days, visitors can look forward to taking in the best of tropical horticulture and floral artistry spread across 9.7 hectares at Gardens by the Bay – almost double the size of the 5-hectare showground in 2014.
The Festival has expanded beyond The Meadow and onto Bayfront Plaza, in addition to the Orchid Extravaganza at the Flower Dome.
There will also be nightly concerts and over 100 stalls offering food and beverages, plants, gardening and landscape products for sale outside the ticketed area – so that more visitors can experience SGF 2016.
Popular highlights from previous editions of the Festival will be returning this year, including:
- Landscape and Fantasy Gardens,
- Balcony Gardens,
- Floral Windows to the World and Gardeners’ Cup.
Visitors can expect to see 72 masterpieces across competitive and non-competitive categories by international and local designers, community gardeners and floral enthusiasts, an increase from SGF 2014, where there were a total of 50 floral displays.
Singapore Garden Festival 2016 celebrates international and local talents amongst the 33 international designers participating in the long-standing Landscape Garden, Fantasy Garden and Floral Windows to the World competitions, 24 will make their SGF debut this year.
Internationally-acclaimed contestants returning to the biennial event include 2014 Gold and Best of Show winners Michael Petrie (Fantasy Garden), and Andrew Wilson and Gavin McWilliam (Landscape Garden).
Local participants include designers John Tan and Raymond Toh (Fantasy Garden), who clinched the Silver-Gilt award at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show 2015, and Ann Teo (Landscape Garden), recipient of the Outstanding Award of Excellence and two Gold Awards at the 2015 Singapore Landscape Architects Award.
For the first time in the event’s history, the Floral Windows to the World competition will identify its local participants via a public competition that will take place this weekend from April 2 to 3.
The top three displays will be invited to compete in SGF 2016 alongside international designers. Also taking place on 2 April, 16 public participants – comprising a mix of professionals and amateurs – will showcase their prowess in qualifying rounds for the Table-top Floral Display competition, themed “Wonderland”.
The top six participants will go on to the finals at the Festival. The weekend competitions will take place at the Marina Square Atrium.
To further raise the profile of Singapore-based horticulture talents, this year’s Festival will also feature the Balcony Garden competition steered by locals, Gardeners’ Cup by community gardeners, a Terrarium Exhibition, and a new Landscape Design Challenge – where teams of students will be tasked to transform an empty space into a garden within five hours.
Tickets for the festival are available at Gardens by the Bay, and can also be purchased online.
