Concept and Culture

The post-war garden festival concept, originating in Germany, has moved beyond the Netherlands and Great Britain, with versions adopted elsewhere in Europe, as well as North America and Asia. Despite the scope of design styles, themes, and follow-on development reflective of cultural trends and site contingencies, these events have tended to remain primarily horticultural exhibitions followed by new urban parks. This is due in part to the AIPH requirement for a strong horticultural component. Whether there are also amusement rides, state-of-the-art multimedia displays or commercial after-use depends on local interpretations of what ‘attractions’ the festival should include.

None of the events discussed below was intended to reclaim a derelict industrial site, an approach that appears unique to Britain. The Kurpark Oberlaa, in Vienna, was created on the former site of a quarry and brick manufacturing facility, but with this possible exception the trend has been to secure the hosting of an international exhibition primarily for its own sake. In some cases, a site within a larger existing open space was used. For example, a small area within the Bois Vincennes in Paris was designated to host the 1969 exhibition, with little distinction between the festival and post-festival landscapes. The site for Montreal's Jardin Floralies lies within the much larger Parc Jean Drapeau. Although not ‘international’ exhibitions according to the standards of the BIE, Grün 80 in Basle and AmeriFlora ’92 in Columbus, Ohio, are also discussed. Grün 80 was distinctive for its unique financing as well as for a conscious effort to depart from the traditional festival concept. AmeriFlora ’92 was the only American garden festival. This event, held in the same year as the better established Floriade, did not receive A1 status and therefore received limited recognition as an international event. While this may seem a distinction in name only, the numbers of international exhibits are limited by a lack of A1 status, affecting the character of the exhibition landscape. Some of the ‘international’ exhibits at AmeriFlora ’92 were, in fact, designed locally and not sponsored by the nations represented. The tradition of garden festivals may have begun in Europe but it was the United States that invented the modern ‘theme park’ that has coloured so many festival landscapes, and it is illustrative to explore the approach to the garden festival phenomenon there.