Chelsea Flower Show to bloom again
THE organisers of the Chelsea Flower Show have announced plans to bring back the horticultural event next year with measures to protect visitors from coronavirus.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) was forced to take the world-famous flower show online in 2020 as the pandemic prevented the physical event at London’s Royal Hospital Chelsea from going ahead in May.
Now the horticultural charity has announced plans for a longer show in 2021, running for six days for the first time in its 108-year history, from Tuesday, May 18 to Sunday, May 23.
There will also be fewer visitors – 140,000 across six days compared with 168,500 over five days in 2019 – to help reduce crowds.
Other Covid-safe measures include socially distanced queuing, crowd modelling and space changes to spread popular areas, and requirements to wear masks in indoor areas.
There are also plans for cashless transactions, a flexible ticket exchange for those with symptoms, enhanced cleaning, and a reduction in closed seated restaurants. The RHS said it has consulted on the plans and believes it can operate the mostly outdoor event safely for everyone.