The dates of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2020 are May 18, 2020 to May 23, 2020. This year’s event, called “Virtual Chelsea,” will take place online. Tickets are not required this year because the show will be broadcast online.
Dates: May 18, 2020-May 23, 2020
Tickets: Free (online)
- RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2020 website
- Royal Horticultural Society Instagram
- Royal Horticultural Society Facebook
- Royal Horticultural Society Twitter
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2020 begins today and normally it could only be experienced with a trip to London and scoring exclusive tickets, but the coronavirus pandemic has flipped the whole world upside down and this year things will be a bit different. The world-famous flower show will now be held online as “Virtual Chelsea” viewable at rhs.org.uk from May 18 – 23.
The decision to hold a virtual event instead of a full cancellation was the obvious choice as “it has become clear how many people feel they need gardening in their life right now, for both their mental and physical wellbeing,” says Katherine Potsides, Head of Shows Development at the Royal Horticultural Society.
Monday is Members Day with exclusive online content for members only, but the rest of us can catch highlights from the past years of Chelsea coverage on BBC shows all week long with hosts including garden expert Monty Don.
Starting Tuesday, May 19, videos and inspirational articles from Chelsea exhibitors will be available online every day of the virtual flower show. Virtual tours from garden designers, florists, and gardening personalities of their own private gardens will include design tips, trends, and planting combinations. Each day the RHS Advisory Team will also be hosting gardening Q&A sessions with special guests.
RHS Chelsea Flower Show is an annual event that has been hosted by the Royal Horticultural Society on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London since 1912. Displays of flowers, plants, and landscape design by top designers and growers are the highlight of this five-day event that is commonly attended by Queen Elizabeth and other members of the Royal Family. Apparently the Chelsea Flower Show has been canceled only once before in its 100+ year history, during the Second World War
The event encourages the use of the hashtags #VirtualChelsea and #RHSChelsea as well as asking viewers at home to share their own gardens with the hashtag #MyChelseaGarden.
I myself have only had the privilege to attend two proper flower shows here in the U.S. and you can read both reviews below:
>> Read my review of the 2017 Philadelphia Flower Show here!
>> Read my review of last year’s Philadelphia Flower Show here!