I can smell it wafting through my window, the perfume of fresh roses tickling my nose and stirring me from my morning slumber. As if a prince tip-toed into my room to wake me up. Birds chirp, the sun is shining, and flower petals are everywhere – falling from the sky like a spring shower.
I wish.
Actually, I wake up to the sounds of a cherry picker moving around outside my window making a harsh beeping noise and the sound is amplifying off of the narrow stone walls. I wondered if the men on the cherry picker were peeping in my window as I slept. I got up and pulled back my curtains. No one is looking back at me because they are busy running wires from balcony to balcony in this narrow alley of the Jewish Quarter of Girona.
Preparing for the city’s largest festival, Girona Temps de Flors, (Flower Festival) is not necessarily romantic – however, the end result is.
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Girona’s Flower Festival By the Numbers
Created in 1954, the festival transforms the city every spring and welcomes approximately 200,000 visitors. This year there are 130 displays, that over 1000 volunteers have put together meticulously at all hours of the night and day leading up to the festival. And there are too many flowers to possibly count.
Transforming a Very Old City
The old city has been transformed! Girona is normally known for its 2,000 years of history behind its medieval walls; however, this week it’s known for flowers behind, on, and in its medieval walls. Stairways, alleys, parks, churches, courtyards, plazas, little nooks, and coves suddenly turned into ornamental flower gardens before my eyes. Many of the displays are in buildings that aren’t open to the public the rest of the year, so Girona Temps de Flors is a chance to really see the secret spots of the city.
Before and After Flower Preparation
Since I’ve been ‘living’ in the city for the last two weeks I was able to watch the medieval town transform. The two days leading up to the start of the flower festival were filled with volunteers creating their masterpieces. Wooden displays, waterfalls, mud skulls, iron sculptures, and contemporary displays were created. Even the restaurants prepare special flower menus, and stores have flower displays in their windows; no ancient medieval stone was left unturned.
This year on the Basilica steps there was a night theater presentation to open up the festival and welcome spring. We had the best seats in the whole city as our Airbnb apartment looked right out on the Basilica steps! Thousands of people gathered below us as night fell and soon the whole plaza was filled with a light show, DJs, and the sounds of chainsaws. The show depicted the battle of good and evil and started out with fire, chainsaws, and the walking dead among the large crowd and gave way to the fairies of Spring winning out and decorating the Basilica steps while cute DJs spin tunes. Odd…yes…but it was fun to be a part of such a big event – and have balcony seating!
Tips for Viewing Girona Temps de Flors
Move over…Flower Press coming through! For our stay, we were given flower press passes…yes, there really is such a thing. Pete, Dalene, and I wore our badges timidly at first, but soon we got used to wielding our power and flashing our passes to cut through the big lines so we could get photos. But if you don’t have a Flower Press Pass, then here’s my best advice for viewing the sea of flowers in Girona Spain.
Stay in Girona Overnight and Get Up Early
People here keep crazy hours. This culture eats lunch at 2 PM, has a siesta, and goes to dinner at 9:30 or 10 PM. That means everyone wakes up late here. Girona’s old city streets are completely empty from 7 AM until 9:30 AM – so you can wander around and see most of the outdoor displays and take pictures without thousands of people in your way!
Go to the Indoor Exhibits between 1:30 and 3:00 PM
This is when most of the visitors/tourists are eating lunch, so the cafes are busy, but the lines for the indoor displays are shorter!
Go During the Week
The weekends are extremely busy, so if you can, go during the week and you’ll avoid the heaviest crowds.
Start at the popular exhibits and then work your way to the outskirts
The displays that are in the further reaches of the city aren’t gone to as much. So start early at the popular exhibits around the Cathedral steps, Arab Bath and Gardens, and then head out to the outer reaches. Some of my favorite exhibits were at the University and there was no one there when there were long lines near the Cathedral.
Bring a Camera and Think About Perspective
Even if you just have a phone camera you are using, remember to consider perspective. I saw so many people just snapping photos at chest level giving a very boring view. You’ll often find me sitting or laying on the ground taking photos! To get good flower photos, you want to be at their level. Crouch down, put the camera on the ground or way up high over your head or among the flowers – try to think like a flower!
By Darlene Foster May 10, 2016 - 10:41 am
Looks fabulous and thanks for the great tips!
By Edwina May 11, 2016 - 4:35 am
Beautiful photos! The flower festival is really popular with locals so going during the week if you can is definitely a great tip.
By Sherry May 11, 2016 - 5:12 am
And if you can get here early in the morning it’s even better. The big tour buses full of people start to show up at 9:30AM…and don’t stop until 7PM.
By Patricia Stone May 24, 2016 - 1:50 pm
Beautiful photos, love the perspective!
By Cathy Agosti September 1, 2016 - 10:16 pm
We will be in Girona May 4 until May 11 2017.Is there a chance we can see any flower displays during those dates. Thank you for your help.Cathy and Alberto Agosti Fort Lauderdale,Florida,USA [email protected]
By Sherry September 4, 2016 - 12:58 am
There’s a chance you’ll start to see them setting up – but honestly most of the displays are done the night before as they want to keep the flowers really fresh. So – you may see a few… 🙂
By Ken April 29, 2017 - 1:11 am
I am planning to go to the flower show on May 21, 17. Which streets or places will have the most beautiful display of flowers? So that I can plan my map route accordingly. Thank you so much!
By Sherry April 29, 2017 - 5:23 pm
Hi Ken, the flower displays are set up all over the city. I suppose the majority of them are in the old medieval part of the walled city though. The crowds really grow after 10AM – so my best advice is stay in the city and go out early in the morning and late at night. It’s not up yet – but this website – http://www.gironatempsdeflors.net/cat/inici.php – will be putting up a map that you can download that will be really useful! Have a great time and let me know what you think!