The Battle Of Two Million Flowers

Every year, the small town of Laredo, Spain, covers its streets with two million flowers for the 115th edition of this century-old festival

LAREDO, SPAIN, September 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — More than 2 million fresh flowers, placed by hand one at a time, covered fourteen giant floats over the weekend at the Batalla de Flores (“Battle of Flowers”) in Laredo, a small coastal town in the Cantabria region of northern Spain — not to be confused with Laredo, Texas. More than 100,000 people gathered along the Alameda Miramar promenade to watch the parade, which closed the town’s Semana Grande festival week. The free event, officially designated a Festival of National Tourist Interest by the Spanish government, has been held every year on the last Friday of August since it began in 1908, reaching its 115th edition this year.

The fourteen floats, built by seven local community groups, competed this year in two categories. Each float can carry more than 150,000 fresh flowers — mainly dahlias, daisies and Mexican sunflowers — nailed one by one onto frames of iron, wood and cork in a craft process the groups spend months preparing. In the finest details, the work goes even further: petals are glued on individually, one at a time, by hand.

First prize went to the float “Quimera,” by local group Mi Vida Loca, in Category A, and to “Walt,” by group Agrupa-2, in Category B. The jury also awarded an International Prize to the float “Alistair,” by Grupo Pejino.

The day began with a ribbon-cutting led by this year’s honorary “Master Float Builder,” Spanish choreographer and dancer Javier Castillo “Poty”, a well-known figure in Spanish dance and television, alongside honorary “Veteran Float Builder” Antonio Pascual Torre, of the HERPAS float-building group, recognized for his decades-long contribution to the tradition. The Grand Parade of Floats followed along the Alameda Miramar circuit.

After the parade, the floats remained on public display, and the celebration continued with live music late into the night, closing with a fireworks display over Laredo’s beach.

The parade brought the curtain down on Laredo’s Semana Grande festival week, which began this year with a free concert by Spanish pop duo FANGORIA that drew more than 20,000 people.

About the Batalla de Flores de Laredo

The Batalla de Flores is the signature festival of Laredo, a town on the northern coast of Spain, in the region of Cantabria. Officially designated a Festival of National Tourist Interest, it is held every year on the last Friday of August, when local community groups present giant floats built entirely from fresh flowers. More information: www.batalladeflores.net.

Press photos and video available here.

Javier Redondo
Ayuntamiento de Laredo
+34 942612987
email us here

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