Free State Flower Festival dazzles

The Free State Madeira Flower Festival held in Parys over the weekend was a breathtakingly colourful event which saw townspeople taking part in a kilometer-long floral procession.

According to the festival's website, this year's carnival included 500 participants, flower puppets and massive flower floats. 

The carnival aims to stimulate tourism in the province and draw visitors to Parys. The spectacle is also intended to expose South African flower growers to business opportunities abroad.

Dubbed "a world class floral extravaganza", the two-day event is a collaboration between Free State provincial authorities and the Portuguese community. 

The parade is a replica of the Madeira Flower Festival, which takes place in Spring in Portugal. Tourism website Visit Madeira credits that festival for being one of the country's biggest tourist attractions.

The ANC posted a video on Twitter and praised the parade for "boosting investment" in the province.

Festival organisers note that the majority of African flower exports into Europe are from Kenya. They hope the festival will help local growers make headway in the international market.

Entry to the event was free and the public was treated to an official opening ceremony and flower carpet exhibitions. 

Dresses made using flowers and bright outfits were the order of the day as participants filed past spectators in choreographed dance routines. 

The Global Times estimated that more than 200,000 flowers were used in the Free State parade. 

The festival attracted huge crowds and an even bigger turnout is expected next year.