Since making its debut in 1829 as the first ever flower show in the United States, the annual Philadelphia Flower Show hosted by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has awed and inspired nearly two centuries of show visitors. With local, national, and international participants, it is a world-renowned show complete with dazzling displays, amazing exhibits, close competition, and superb shopping. This year the PHS has added good eats and a fantastic theme into the mix, making the Philadelphia Flower Show an absolute must on Daily Vacationer's list of Greater Philly fun.
We assume that planning and constructing the Flower Show is akin to awaiting the birth of your second child - you just can't believe you'll be able to love them as much as your first. But then they arrive, and you discover that they are just as amazing. Even following the smashing success of the unbelievable "Articulture" theme from 2014, this year's "Celebrate the Movies" manages to impress just as much, if not more! We weren't sure what to expect with the Disney/Disney-Pixar theme (a wonderful draw for families this time around), but we were delighted with what we discovered. After arriving and taking many, many pictures of the grand entrance (oh wow!), we were immediately drawn to the showcased exhibits.
Rather than a literal take on the movies, most exhibitors choose to express the overall mood of the movie, its location, or the characters. "Into the Woods" presented itself as a forbidding foggy path through the trees, while "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" compared the green English countryside to the stark white of snowy Narnia. A personal favorite for Daily Vacationer was "Pooh's Hunny Depot", perfectly capturing the whimsy and innocence of the 100 Acre Wood. We also enjoyed the various representations of the Disney Princesses as horticultural arrangements and had a great time attempting to guess which princess belonged to which display (big wows for Aurora, Rapunzel, and Pocahontas!). We could go on forever just listing everything we loved ("Route 66"'s live chickens, the "Underwater Adventure" inspired by Finding Nemo, the beautiful view through Mulan's "Chinese Blossoms", the exotic escape of "The Persian Garden" and "Dreams of the Magic Carpet", the promise of adventure in "Tarzan" and "Peter Pan in Neverland", etc, etc....), but honestly you should really just go see it all yourself!
Some new twists this year include the "Guess the Movie" exhibit (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is our pick - fingers crossed!), mouth watering dining choices (including the PHS Pop Up Garden in the Grand Hall), and some new theme days (Fido Friday and Cinderella Sunday anyone?). Going right along with the movie theme of the show, Gene London's Hollywood Collection is an exciting addition to the events this year, showcasing famous costumes worn by Vivien Leigh, Marilyn Monroe, Mae West, and many other stars of the big screen. The Flower Show is also continuing its popular traditions and competitions with the Design Gallery, demonstration studios, unbelievable shopping and vendors, and cool extras like the "Make and Take" room and The Butterfly Experience.
The PHS makes visiting simple with the FREE Flower Show app, parking reservations through Parking Panda, coat check right near the show's entrance, and hand stamps for easy re-entry. PHS members get FREE Flower Show tickets as well as a ton of discounts and exclusive benefits at the show. The Philadelphia Flower Show will only be at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from February 28th to March 8th, so make plans to Celebrate the Movies before it's too late - lights, camera, bloom!
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Flower show is so pretty in the midst of this icy messy winter!
ReplyDeleteI've never been but with the Disney theme this year I'm really tempted to check it out.
ReplyDeleteWe flew home to book this venue in June last year. Absolutely loved it here and I'll be certainly waiting to go back there for more events. Regardless of the time of your event, you always get the same thing at party halls in Bay area: reasonable drink prices, great decoration, & friendly staff.
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