If you have never received flowers in your life, going to the Madeira Flower Festival in Parys yesterday might have done you well.

 “People were just excited to see 600 dancers going through the streets with 5 of the most beautiful flower floats with hundreds of  thousands of flowers that were put together. So, this was a marvelous and exciting activity for the Free State,” said Kgotso Tau, spokesperson for the Free State Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (Destea) today.

Tau said all the MEC's of Mangaung Metro took part in this festival to ensure that the event was a success and all things went according to plan.

The closing event had a massive street parade and over 500 dancers dressed in colourful, bright clothes draped with diverse flowers. Among those that were spotted at the event was Free State premier, Ace Magashule, Mangaung Executive Mayor, Olly Mlamleli, and President Miguel Albuquerque of Madeira, a province in Portugal.

It was only fitting to have someone from Madeira, as the province collaborated with the Free State government in this event as they are the home to the largest flower festival in the world, said Tau.

The  department has now committed to ensuring that the festival will take place annually like the Macufe Arts Festival. The provincial governments expect that the Free State will host the largest flower festival in South Africa in upcoming years.

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

OFM/Pulane Choane

Pictures supplied by Destea

Photos supplied by Destea