Floriade: Flowering Dreams for the Future

Posted on   May 23,2021   By John and Linda Compisi

One of the 2020 casualties of COVID-19 was a two-week April trip Linda and our daughter had planned to visit Monet Gardens in Paris and then the tulips in Holland. Our daughter just loves the art of Monet and flowers, especially tulips. When I saw the press release for Floriade, a Dutch horticultural event, held just once every ten years I was interested and had to learn more. I was hoping this might be an opportunity for the lost tour to be regenerated in a very special way. What I learned is that Floriade is the largest international floral expo in the world. Much of what follows in this post was gleaned from that press release and the Floriade website.

In 2022, the 7^th iteration of the expo, horticulturists, nature lovers, flower children and those interested in sustainability will have about six months from April till October, to head to Almere, a modern “garden city,” close to Amsterdam. The theme of the 2022 Expo is “Growing Green Cities,” which will focus on combining nature and cities. About two million people are expected to visit the exposition.

For an historical perspective, the first Floriade was held in 1960 in Rotterdam’s Het Park. The Euromast was erected to mark the event. The Floriade is coordinated by the Dutch Horticultural Council which was founded in 1908 with the aim to strengthen the image of Dutch horticulture and to promote exports of the same. The location varies, like the Olympics, and is awarded to a host city after a bidding phase.  In 2020, the host City will be Almere (NL).  Almere will be the stage for the Floriade Expo 2022 for six months from 14 April 2022 until October.

During the Floriade, the Dutch horticulture sector, in conjunction with national and international participants, will exhibit green solutions that they hope will make cities more fun, live able and sustainable. There will be an extensive number of exhibits and events encompassing green food, energy and health. Perhaps important because some estimates say that by 2050, almost 70% of the global population will live in cities on just 2% of the earth’s surface area. With that potential in mind, Floriade has committed to creating new buildings that will have a continued use after the expo within a new city district in Almere named Hortus. 

Travel companies known to be creating itineraries for the Expo are Tauck, Trafalgar, Shearings, among others, including San Francisco-based We Make Travel Easy. We Make Travel Easy has created “Floriade 2022 and Beyond,” a 10-day itinerary to Floriade for the garden lover.  

In addition to the featured Floriade Expo, the Floriade 2022 and Beyond tour will include a post-Floriade private ship charter aboard the luxury AmaWaterways’ beautiful AmaPrima to visit several very special gardens in The Netherlands and Belgium. The ten-day itinerary is scheduled for May 29-June 7, 2022.

Sandy Lipkowitz, the owner of We Make Travel Easy received the Conde Nast Traveler’s “2021 Top Travel Specialist” accolade so this itinerary is certain to be a winner.  Check it out.

If you need a bit of inspiration to make a flower expo your travel goal, consider watching the 2017 Dutch film ‘Tulipani, Love, Honour and a Bicycle’. Who knows where that will lead?

It appears that the 2022 Floriade Expo will be a brilliant way to return to travel after the severely long hiatus caused by the pandemic. Enjoy the opportunity to nourish your soul and regenerate your spirit. Time to get back out there!