A Floral Gift from the II International Flower Festival

On 12 June 2008 a ceremony was held for the donation of the Floral Gift to the State Hermitage Museum from the II International Flower Festival.

By the Main Gate of the Winter Palace, the Deputy Director of the State Hermitage Museum Vladimir Matveev met the delegation from the Flower Festival. The Floral Gift was presented by Îleg Virolainen, the Chairman for the Utilities and Roads Maintenance Committee of St. Petersburg, Galina Pergamenschikova, President of the National Guild of Florists, and Mr. Frans Mank (Holland), the President of the European Federation of Professional Florist Association (FEUPF), Chairman of the jury of the Interflora World Cup.

Then the delegation and representatives of the press went through the Winter Palace Courtyard to the Jordan Staircase of the Winter Palace, where a floral arrangement had been laid before an allegorical statue of Sovereignty.

In 2007 the I International Flower Festival was organized in St. Petersburg, as part of the celebrations for Russia Day.

The programme for the II International Flower Festival was extensive and diverse. It included a competition Floral Gardens among the gardens and parks of the city; a floral exhibition with decorative plants and accessories; a master class run by the leading specialists for floral arrangements, and of course, a professional floral programme. Orchestral and jazz performances contributed to the festive atmosphere with a Flower Ball held outside and a catwalk of models in dresses made from natural flowers.

This year international observers and acknowledged maestros participated in the festival – members of the National Guild of Florists of Russia and the International Federation of Professional Florist Association.

The International Flower Festival in St. Petersburg transforms the city into one of the most blooming cities in Europe, among such cities as Amsterdam, Brussels, London and Paris.

Floral Gift from the II International Flower Festival