Once meant to spotlight regional plant varieties, Tamil Nadu’s summer flower shows are now dominated by mass-produced cut flowers and tourist-driven displays, sidelining local botanical heritage
The summer festival, with three major flower, vegetable and fruit shows in prominent hill stations of Tamil Nadu, begins in mid-May and runs through the first week of June each year. The Nilgiris Summer Festival in Ooty marks the beginning of these events. First held in Ooty in the Nilgiris, then in Yercaud, and finally in Kodaikanal, these hill station shows attract lakhs of tourists and visitors annually.
Close to two lakh visitors attended the 127th Ooty Flower Show held at the Government Botanical Garden from May 16 to 21, 2025. The 62nd edition of the flower show in Kodaikanal, which began on May 24 and will conclude on June 1, drew over 10,000 visitors on the first day. Tourism department officials say the footfall for these flower shows has increased considerably this year compared to the past three years.
Watch: Ooty’s annual flower show kicks off with captivating blooms
Meanwhile, there is severe criticism of the floral depictions in various shapes of animals and structures, which are intended as attractions for tourists. While these shows were initially designed to showcase local flower varieties and encourage people to exhibit their flowers in competitions, they have now become more of a selfie spot for tourists. Critics argue that the flower shows are becoming overly commercialised, with less emphasis on floral displays and more on tourism-related activities. The Federal takes a closer look at the 2025 summer flower shows:
A decorated swan at the 127th Flower Show, held at the Government Botanical Gardens at Ooty in Nilgiris district. This 35-feet long and eight-feet high ‘Annapakshi’ (divine swan) was made of 50,400 marigold flowers.
A massive ‘Royal Castle’ made of two lakh flowers, including roses, chrysanthemums, and carnations, measuring 75 feet in length and 25 feet in height, turned out to be a selfie spot at the show.
The Ooty Flower Show, a long-standing event in the Nilgiris, has faced criticism regarding high entry fees. Tickets for adults are priced at Rs 125 and Rs 75 for children. Visitors who shoot with professional cameras are asked to pay Rs 5,000. High entry fees impact local residents and tourists. In the case of the last and final flower show at Kodaikanal hills, adult visitors are charged Rs 75 per ticket and a ticket for children is priced at Rs 35.
A chessboard model was created using flowers.
A decorated scene in the Ooty Flower Show. Flowers were used to create a scene of water flowing from the Kallanai Dam. A mix of various cut flowers used in this decoration would stay fresh for a maximum of five days. This dam scene decoration was made of 4,000 flower pots and decorated with 35,000 marigold and rose flowers.
Colourful flowers are used to create various shapes of animals and objects like a traditional ‘simhasanam’ (throne), swing, mirror, musical instruments, cannon, elephant, and tiger.
A key attraction of the Kodaikanal 62nd Flower show at the Bryant Park was the floral replica of ‘Geographical Indication’ (GI)-earned products of the Dindigul region, including Dindigul lock. Apart from floral replicas, 26 exotic species were displayed at the show. The daily average revenue of the week-long flower is usually around Rs 4.70 lakh, but it has crossed Rs 6.30 lakh on the first day of the flower show this year.
Flower exhibitors, botanists, and visitors complain that the horticulture department, which used to exhibit its own flower varieties and new arrivals, now opts for bringing several tonnes of flowers from neighbouring districts to make up the show with cut flowers. The Ooty Flower Show, which was first organised in 1896 to showcase varieties of flowers in the Nilgiris and introduce newly developed flower varieties, has now turned into a crowd-pulling floral show for tourists. Over 250 exhibitors, who passionately grow flowers, display their entries in the contest every year. But the purpose is lost now.
A floral depiction of the free bus service scheme introduced in Tamil Nadu for women passengers at the Yercaud Flower Show.
Replicas of various aquatic animals were displayed at the Ooty Flower Show with an awareness message.
