Cardiff RHS Flower Show

Last month we headed off to Bute Park and the RHS Flower Show, it's actually the third year I have taken my eldest and the second time for my youngest and it has become somewhat of an annual tradition for us and a fantastic day out. This year I also attended with my friend Kelly, a Cardiff based blogger whose children are a similar age to my eldest and due to the popularity of the event I would recommend if you are taking kids to go with someone as it's so busy an extra pair of eyes is very handy. 

With the Flower show taking place in Bute Park, the most central green space in the city centre, there is a real buzz as you get closer to the venue as people near and far travel to the Welsh Capital for a day full of colour, flowers, food and festivities. 

What keeps bringing us back year after year is how family friendly it is and as soon as we passed through the gates we were asked if the kids would like to do a treasure hunt with a prize to everyone who finishes it, of course they jumped at the opportunity. Each year they also have an array of sculptures up and this year was no exception with an unmissable giant crochet wheelbarrow right next to the entrance. Another highlight is the Schools wheelbarrow competition where Schools across South Wales designed and decorated wheelbarrows in cool and creative ways and you get given a token to vote for your favorite.

This year they also had a specifically designed area just for kids where they could play games, get music playing by cycling a bike, make crafts and basically a safe area for parents to sit and relax for a moment while being able to easily supervise their children. I think a space like this is a really good idea as the flower show can become extremely busy around midday.

Of course we also made sure to check out all the award-winning designed gardens as well as taking in all the bright blooms in the flower tents and picking up a succulent or two along the way. When it comes to gardening and flowers this show has everything you need with tons of talks, demonstrations, stall holders and plenty of flowers and products on sale. As you proceed further into the fair you come to the bandstand which a constant stream of talented musicians taking the stage throughout the day. The Ferris wheel also cannot be missed as well as the smaller independent craft market and a huge variety of street food and market stands.

As with every year we had a great time and the sun even came out later on making it one of the warmest days we have seen this year. As it gets closer to closing things start to slow down a little and become less busy which is great when you have kids. I highly recommend visiting the RHS show when it comes back to Cardiff next year and plan to stay the whole day or at least 2-3hrs because there is simply so much to see and do. I would also recommend taking a reusable bottle of water as there are refilling stations as well as some snacks as food with most events like this is on the pricey side.