RHS London Shows to relocate
From 2019 three of the current five London Shows, held in the Royal Horticultural Halls, will move to RHS Gardens
The RHS London Shows are on the move! After more than a century of inspiring London Shows at the Lawrence and Lindley Halls in Vincent Square, the RHS has decided to move three of the five shows to RHS Gardens to make the events bigger and better than ever and attract more folk into the wonderful world of horticulture.
For 2019, we'll host one major show in the London Lindley and Lawrence Halls. The RHS Spring Launch and Orchid Show (8-10 April 2019) will kick off the show season and will also incorporate the spectacular RHS Orchid Show & Plant Fair. Here you'll find top-notch nurseries, fantastic floral displays and spring plants for sale. Plus, expect to see superb house plants, expert talks and designers giving a preview of what to expect in the upcoming show season. Book your tickets online.
The remaining shows will move to RHS gardens, with the RHS Early Spring Plant Fair and the RHS Harvest Festival Show both moving to RHS Garden Hyde Hall in Essex. Once the new events building is open at Wisley, one or more of the shows may move from Hyde Hall to Wisley in 2020.
The venue of the RHS Botanical Art Show is yet to be confirmed, but we're committed to finding the best location for continuing this show. Elements of the the RHS Urban Garden Show, which will not be directly replaced, will be incorporated into other shows and we're also looking at other ways to continue celebrating plants and gardening in central London.
Moving with the times
The decision follows a review of the RHS London Shows over the last two years and their cost to RHS charitable funds.
On average, the London Shows welcome 2,400 visitors per show. In contrast, individual RHS Flower Shows at our RHS Gardens attract at least three times that figure, with Wisley welcoming more than 45,000, Hyde Hall receiving 26,000, nearly 14,000 visiting Harlow Carr and in its first year Rosemoor Flower Show attracted over 9,000 visitors.
Sue Biggs, RHS Director General said:"We have tried to increase the success of these shows in London, but we cannot avoid the reality that the five shows in the last year were only visited by 12,000 visitors, at a cost of £400,000 to the RHS’ charitable funds.
"After careful consideration, we have decided to move the majority of these shows to our RHS Gardens, where we are confident they will attract a larger audience, inspiring more people to grow, and enabling our great British nurseries to continue to flourish."
The RHS has held shows in London at the Lawrence and Lindley Halls in Vincent Square since 1904, and enjoyed more than a century of success bringing horticulture to the heart of London. However times have changed – today exhibitors have to contend with the high costs of emission, congestion and parking charges as well as ever-increasing hotel prices.
What does this mean for you?
The relocated shows at Hyde Hall and Wisley will be free for RHS members.
RHS membership offers free access to four RHS Gardens, early access to major Flower Shows, The Garden monthly magazine, free gardening advice, access to more than 200 partner gardens at different times throughout the year and also supports the charitable work of the RHS.
We appreciate that you may be disappointed by this decision and are extremely grateful for your long-standing support. We hope that by moving these shows, we will create sustainable events that benefit our visitors, the RHS and our dedicated exhibitors.
