South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Orchid festival and show set to bloom
Go on an orchid odyssey and faun over flora at the upcoming 61st annual Orchid Paradise Show and Sale in Fort Lauderdale.
The juried show, sponsored by the nonprofit Fort Lauderdale Orchid Society, will be Jan. 25-27 at War Memorial Auditorium.
The flower festival will feature 25 vendors filling the auditorium’s
20,000-square-foot space with exotic specimens and growing supplies from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Hardcore fans can get first crack at plants during a preview party on Jan.
24, which will also include bubbly and a buffet with live entertainment.
This year, the show will feature native Florida orchids for sale to showcase the Million Orchid Project.
“We have partnered with Fairchild [Tropical Botanic] Garden in Miami to
The delicate, pale green flowers of this orchid are daintier than the lady’s slipper orchid, with its pouch that traps bugs to capture pollen. help introduce 1 million native orchids to South Florida as part of their Million Orchid Project,” says organizer Michael Schaberl.
The society is planning an opening ceremony at 1 p.m. Jan. 23 at the auditorium.
“After the ceremony we will be attaching about 150 orchids in the trees around the War Memorial Auditorium. We will have a limited number of native orchids available for sale so patrons can be part of making Broward County more beautiful with native orchids.”
The show will feature nearly 10,000 rare blooms from around the world.
Several vendors from Taiwan and Hawaii also will be selling their exotic species. Tickets are $12 in advance online or $15 at the door; preview party tickets are $80 at FLOS .org. There also is a $3-off coupon posted on the society’s website.
Parking is free.