Spalding Flower Parade stems from tulip time - with a rich history

Spalding Flower Parade has a rich history - with a story that actually dates back about 100 years.

Back in the 1920s and 30s the area was getting a reputation for coming alive with colour from our magnificent tulip fields. The crowds had already got wind of the spectacle that awaited in the carpets of colour in South Holland and this was crystallised in the patriotic fervour around the 1935 jubilee for King George V and Queen Mary.

In a sign that some things never change, the event created traffic headaches for the area! Determined to avoid congestion of cars and coaches, a committee was established to make a formal event - with a tour of the villages established in the 1940s and the first formal ‘tulip parade’ following in 1959.

From then on, floral floats and tulip or flower queens become important parts of the cultural fabric of the area - and Spalding became famous far and wide for its showpiece event.

It then run until 2013 - an event that was thought to have been the end of the story, with local authorities no longer providing funding.

Yet, fuelled by a desire to rekindle the spirit of the parade and give the town its big day back, Stephen Timewell and a team of volunteers took on the challenge of reviving the event and began a new chapter of its history by bringing it back for 2023.

You can explore more of the story of the parade - and pictures from the past - at the excellent historical resource that is heritagesouthholland.co.uk

Are you looking forward to the event? Let us know in the comments below…