South African town hosts Flower Festival

Parys, South Africa (People’s Daily) - Parys, South Africa hosted the annual Madeira Flower Festival this weekend. And the Chinese Consulate-General in Johannesburg participated for the first time. (Photos: Yu Wan/ People's Daily)

The two-day event included a gala dinner, Chinese cuisine day and the flower parade. Over 500 dancers were dressed in colorful, bright clothes draped with diverse flowers. More than 200,000 flowers from local flower farmers were used to create the Madeira float and five floats represented the five tourism routes in the Free State province.

These were the Lion Route (green), the Eagle Route (orange), the Cheetah Route (red), the Flamingo Route (yellow), and the Springbok Route (blue). They were designed by Madeiran master floriculturist Joao Rodrigues and entertained the huge crowds.

The festival is one of the biggest flower parades in the history of the Free State, attracting thousands of floral enthusiasts in the picturesque town of Parys, which is known for its antique shops.

The event is expected to link the export opportunities as well as increase tourism in the smaller parts of the province and boost economic development.

Parys, South Africa hosted the annual Madeira Flower Festival this weekend.