As spring finally unfolds across Yorkshire, there’s no better way to welcome the new gardening season than a visit to the Harrogate Spring Flower Show. The show returns to the Great Yorkshire Events Centre from 23–26 April 2026. Last year the event drew record crowds and, with over 40,000 visitors, the show remains one of the UK’s most anticipated horticultural events, offering four days of colour, inspiration and immersive gardening experiences.
The Harrogate Spring Flower Show also holds a distinctive position in the UK horticultural calendar as being the only national flower show to take place in the north of England during the key early stages of the growing season. Since it arrives in late April, at that pivotal moment when gardens are just beginning to awaken, it is an ideal time to offer visitors their first opportunity of the year to experience seasonal planting, creative garden design and floral inspiration on a significant scale.
The show is organised by the North of England Horticultural Society (NEHS), a charity dedicated to promoting horticulture in the north of England. This year’s show – under the theme of Let Us Entertain You – promises to be a vibrant celebration of plants, design and performance.
A celebration of spring in full bloom
At the heart of the show is the vast 4,000 square metre Grand Floral Hall. Here, dozens of plant nurseries and specialist societies are set to showcase hundreds of plant varieties: some of which are established favourites and others, brand new. Visitors will have time to explore a huge diversity of plants, as well as meeting growers, and gaining inspiration for their own gardens.
Expert horticultural advice will be on hand throughout the event at the Garden Advice Bureau and there are talks and demonstrations at the Grow! Live Theatre, hosted by garden writer and broadcaster Martin Fish.
The Show Gardens, an ever-popular part of the show, are also set to make a welcome return, while the Creative Borders continue to demonstrate how even the smallest spaces can be transformed with a little imagination and flair.
This year’s show introduces an exciting collaboration with the Association of Professional Landscapers, with a collection of achievable small garden designs. From compact urban courtyards to suburban garden plots, these gardens have been created to reflect real-life spaces and offer practical, inspirational and easily adaptable ideas for visitors to take away with them.
Floral Art Pavilion – let us entertain you
The Floral Art Pavilion is set to provide one of the most visually spectacular areas of the show. The show hosts the biggest exhibition by florists and floral arrangers in the country.
This year, visitors can expect a programme of vibrant displays inspired by fairgrounds, circuses and global celebration. From large-scale student installations themed as All the Fun of the Fair, to carnival-inspired pieces such as the flamboyant Rio Calling, there will be masses of bold colour, movement and creativity to experience.
Yolanda Campbell, the award-winning florist, will lead complimentary hands-on sessions celebrating sustainable floristry and British-grown flowers, offering visitors the opportunity to create some eco-friendly floral crafts.
Jonathan Moseley, celebrity florist and a show favourite, is set to return to the Create! Stage throughout the show to share his signature demonstrations, unique tips, techniques and floral inspiration.
Workshops, talks and hands-on experiences
Visitors will have the chance to roll-up their sleeves and have a go at getting creative with a free floristry workshop, hosted by local design studio Leafy Couture – to produce a mini floral masterpiece to take home.
Budding gardeners and those looking for fresh ideas for their own outdoor spaces will be able to join garden designer Nick Fryer for daily hands-on sessions focused on planting, design and practical garden improvement.
The popular Human Gardener feature also returns, offering a changing daily line-up of horticulturists, foragers, arborists and botanical artists sharing their thought-provoking insights.
In very exciting news for NEHS this year, the show has also been nominated in the Group Leisure & Travel Awards 2026, and is shortlisted finalist for the awards in June.
Eating, shopping, parking and accessibility
There are plenty of places to take a break for something to eat or drink in the Food Court, and there’s even a plant crèche where keen shoppers can leave their horticultural purchases while they browse the rest of the attractions. Most vendors accept card payments, and there is an ATM onsite (fees apply).
As the site is mainly hardstanding and level, access to all major features is possible, and accessible toilets are available. It is possible to pre-book wheelchairs or mobility scooters if required, and there will be a limited amount of Blue Badge parkng. General parking is free of charge.
Please note that dogs are not permitted on site, except for registered assistance animals.
Tickets can be booked online or purchased on the gate on the day. Adult tickets are £29, with children (15 and under) and registered carers eligible for free entry with a booked ticket. Tickets are non-refundable/non-exchangeable.
The show opens from 9.30am-5pm daily.
Friends of Bylines Network
There has never been a greater need for grassroots journalism that investigates the stories that really matter, holds power to account and champions the voices of everyday citizens. We are proudly powered by volunteers but what we do isn’t free.
STAND WITH US for independent, citizen-led journalism that makes democracy stronger, and you will even get some exclusive benefits.
