Largest flower parade in the world to take place next month (GALLERY)

The famous Zundert Corso returns on 4-5 September 2022

The dates for this year’s Corso Zundert (the flower parade of Zundert), in the Netherlands, have been announced. On 4-5 September 2022, twenty teams will compete against each other to build the most beautiful float, as part of a decades-long tradition. Learn how to become part of this unique event, which proudly calls itself the largest flower parade in the world.

An exercise in community building

The Dutch town of Zundert (close to the Belgian border) is getting ready to host another edition of what is believed to be the most impressive parade of flower installations worldwide - one with a 80-years long tradition.

The Corso is actually a heated competition between groups of friends or sometimes - entire neighbours on building large and creative flower figures, made of dahlias. The winner is then judged by a professional jury, but the public also gets to award a special recognition.

The Corso is has taken deep roots in The Netherlands. In fact, the Dutch Corso culture and Falconry have officially been inscribed on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021. Officially, the Corso practice is claimed to have spread in the south of France and Italy, before becoming popular in the Netherlands in the nineteenth century. Currently, there are around 30 such parades in the country.

The first parade in Zundert took place in 1936 in honour of Queen Wilhelmina's birthday. As per tradition, the flower installations are taken to a large parade on the streets, accompanied by musical and theatrical performances and other exhibition-type activities.

The Corso is done entirely voluntary and manually – even pushing the heavy flower car forward, which is considered an honour for the team. The teams spend months in preparation before putting the flowers in the very final days before the parade. Said flowers often number up to half a million per car, while the size of each installation reaches several metres of length and height.

Apart from the competition, the Corso is an exercise in community building and a meeting point of several generations. And once the winners are known, there is a party for everybody.

To check out the full programme and purchase tickets, make sure to visit the official website of Corso Zundert. Get a taste of the parade before even getting there from our Gallery above.

The joy of winning Corso Zundert. Video: ROStv Zundert