Battle of Flowers could return to Victoria Avenue

The Battle of Flowers was held on Victoria Avenue every year from 1951 to 2024

The Jersey Battle of Flowers Association has voted for the parade to return to Victoria Avenue in 2026.

Association chair Martyn Maguire said safety concerns, logistics and costs are the main reasons the group wants the parade on the avenue.

Mr Maguire claimed the government is keen for the parade to be held in town again and he suspected this could be a condition of the group's grant, when they apply for it.

Economy Minister Deputy Kirsten Morel said "there is a disconnect between Victoria Avenue and the rest of town" and he would like to see the parade in the town centre again.

'Resounding success'

Morel said the town parade was "a resounding success" but said the avenue is a better location for bigger floats.

He said the government will continue to work with the association to "find out the best way of delivering next year".

The Battle of Flowers was put on in town for the first time ever in August, following a cancellation of the traditional event due to a £150,000 overspend in 2024.

More than £120,000 of taxpayer money was used to pay off the organisation's debts but the government said this would come out of their future grant money.

Morel said he doesn't "want to put the Battle in a bad position" and expects the money to be returned in increments of around 10% over a number of years.

Martyn Maguire was voted in as the association's chairperson again this year

Mr Maguire said: "What we're going to try and do this year is make [the parade] a very intimate affair, similar to town.

"Obviously it's not going to be as enclosed but our plans will be a free parade on the avenue with larger floats than we had this year... and see if we can make an event on the avenue as successful as we made the event in town."

It was confirmed that the event will be free to attend in 2026 and float sizes will be maximum to 35ft long to save costs.

Mr Maguire said a town parade was "logistically difficult to do" and driving floats past moving traffic on Gloucester Street and the underpass had been unsafe.

He added: "The route that we would be proposing for town is quite difficult because we would have to have a lot of road closures."

Mr Maguire said he expected a town parade to cost more money due to extra road signage and security requirements.

Vicky Trehorel helped with entertainment at this year's parade

Vicky Trehorel, JBFA member, said the decision for the parade to return to Victoria Avenue was a "really tough decision".

She said: "I know there was lots of really positive feedback about being in town and I loved seeing the reactions of the crowds.

"I think one of the key take aways from town was how intimate and interactive the crowds can get and I feel confident that the new comittee are committed to recreating that interactivity."