Southport Flower Show 2022: Strictly Come Dancing stars, Gardener's World, Daisy Desire and Justin Fletcher amongst appearances - everything you need to know

What’s happening and when is it?

Sponsored by Home Bargains, the show is coming back to Victoria Park after a two-year break because of the pandemic, with organisers promising a packed programme of events.

The UK’s largest independent flower show will open on Thursday August 18 and runs for four days until Sunday August 21. The 2022 show will see a return of the stunning

grand floral marquee for which Southport is famous, along with the keenly contested amateur competitions where enthusiastic and talented home growers from across the

North go head-to-head.

Visitors will also find inspiration in the display gardens and from talks by knowledgeable experts, including Adam Frost from the BBC’s Gardeners’ World, ITV’s Love Your

Garden presenter Katie Rushworth and Daisy Desire, who is known to thousands of Instagram followers as the ‘Drag Queen Gardener’.

In a break from recent tradition, the honour of opening the show will not go to an A-list celebrity but to a local community hero - Dr Karen Groves MBE - who was nominated for

her years of service at Southport’s Queenscourt Hospice.

Who else will be there?

Away from the fabulous floral displays, former Strictly Come Dancing stars Janette Manrara and husband Aljaž Škorjanec will bring some glitter ball glamour to guests in the

Garden Theatre on Friday and there is a pop-up shopping village with more than 350 trade exhibitors, offering a vast range of unusual and unique products for home and

garden.

Meanwhile, some of the nation’s best-known chefs will appear in the cookery theatre, including Hairy Biker Si King who puts on two shows on Saturday. Also appearing are TV

chefs and Liverpool restaurateur Ellis Barrie, who appeared on the recent revival of Ready Steady Cook on the BBC.

Ellis, who launched the celebrated Marram Grass restaurant on Anglesey, will be making his third appearance at Southport.

Dave Critchley, who has twice featured on The Great British Menu and worked in the kitchens of some of the North West’s best-known restaurants, will also appear.

And although he started his career washing pots in a pub in his native Liverpool, Dave has become a rising star of Chinese food.

Dave said: “I can’t wait to prepare some of my favourite recipes at Southport and meet everyone there, it’s going to be a great day out.”

Southport Flower Show general manager Alan Adams said: “Visitors to the cookery theatre are in for a real treat this year. We are delighted to welcome Dave to join our

fantastic line-up of talented chefs.”

On Thursday visitors can see Jemma Melvin, the Southport home baker whose Lemon Swiss Roll and Amaretti Trifle won the BBC’s Platinum Pudding competition to create

the official dessert for the Queen’s Jubilee.

Kids go free at Southport and younger guests will be entertained by performers including Children’s TV favourite Justin Fletcher. The star of CBeebies is known to millions of

young fans for his popular characters including Mr Tumble, and will return to Southport with a new live show for 2022 in the Garden Theatre on Sunday. There are also fun

packed science and discovery workshops with hands-on activities designed to keep kids busy.

Visitors can also bring their four-legged family members to the show, with dogs welcome at Southport once again in 2022 and animal lovers can also check out a performance

by the West Lancashire Dog Display in the Arena.

How to get there?

Southport Flower Show will take over its traditional home at the 34-acre setting of Victoria Park, which is close to the town centre and also Pleasureland and sea front. It is well

connected to the north west motorway network and there is plenty of parking. The postcode is PR8 1RX but the entrances to the show and surrounding car parks are all very

well sign posted when you reach Southport so motorists are advised to follow the signs rather than Satnav.

From the South: Take the M6 to exit at junction 26 for the M58 to Ormskirk. Here you take the A570 to Southport.

From the North: Follow the A59 from Preston, exit 31 if coming from the M6, and then follow the A565 to Southport.

The show site is 15/20 minutes’ walk from Southport train station. Regular trains, buses and coaches run to Southport from Liverpool, Wigan and Manchester. There is a shuttle bus available at a return cost.

How to get tickets

You can turn up and pay on the gate, with a day pass costing £27, but buy an early bird ticket online in advance and you can save £3 with a day pass costing £24.

Children under the age 16 go free when they are accompanied by a paying adult.

The early bird tickets are flexible and can be used on any one of the show days. Go to this link

You can also buy a 4-day pass for the show for £74 which gives access to the entire event from Thursday-Sunday and also access to an exclusive patrons area with amenities.

Local residents who can produce a utility bill showing they have a PR8 or PR9 postcode home address can receive a discounted ticket for just £18. This offer is available until Wednesday August 17 from The Atkinson (which opens 10am-4pm, Monday to Saturday).

What’s the weather going to be like?

The Met Office is forecasting dry weather in the daytime for the first two days with sunny spells on Friday.