The UK’S largest independent flower show is set to be a special edition next year as it invites visitors from across the country to step into their very own story-book.

Organisers of the 2018 Southport Flower Show have revealed that next year’s event will be themed ‘Once Upon a Time’, drawing inspiration from traditional story-telling, folklore and legend.

Using gardens as the narrative, the show will bring traditional tales to life with competitors being asked to create a garden based on a famous story. A special ‘show poem’ has been penned to provide inspiration for those looking to enter a garden in the 2018 event..

Once Upon a Time
Once upon a time in an old seaside town,
storytellers arrived to enchant the crowds.
Surrounded by flowers and perched under trees,
the townsfolk were spellbound by tales of fancy…
Legends and folklore, magic and myth…
Indeed, the people of Southport were truly transfixed.

The 2018 show’s enchanting theme follows on from this year’s event, which saw more than 50,000 visitors enjoy Southport Flower Show’s ‘Curious Garden’, designed to convey a sense of mystery, wonder and curiosity.

Since its launch in 1924, the Southport Flower Show has attracted garden-lovers from across the country and has become a firm fixture on the UK summer event calendar. In 2017 the four-day show featured a bumper line-up of celebrity guests, including popular broadcasters John Craven and Charlie Dimmock, along with children’s TV personalities Justin Fletcher and Ben Faulks – CBeebies Mr Bloom. A host of high-profile gardening and horticultural experts, including Gardeners’ World regulars, Carol Klein and Pippa Greenwood also presented at the show.

Commenting on the launch of 2018’s theme, Ray Roukin general manager of the Southport Flower Show said, “Southport Flower Show is designed to be a memorable day out for the whole family and we hope our ‘Once Upon a Time’ theme will capture the imaginations of visitors of all ages. The North West has a rich heritage of story-telling and has produced many well-known authors and poets. We will be celebrating this and weaving a story of our own through spell-binding gardens, floral galleries, stalls and entertainment.”

The 2018 Southport Flower Show takes place from Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th August at Victoria Park. A special ‘early bird’ ticket price is available now at https://southportflowershow.eventcube.io/. The event is free for children aged 16 and under who attend with an adult.