2024 PHS Flower Show: After-hour dance parties, live butterflies, and behind-the-scenes tours

One of Philadelphia’s biggest annual attractions and fundraisers for the conservation, sustainability, and beautification of the city’s green spaces is returning to a convention center near you.

Starting March 2, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s annual Philadelphia Flower Show is kicking off its 195th show. This year’s theme, “United by Flowers,” celebrates “the colorful community that comes together to share in their love of gardening, flowers, and plants, and the impact they make on our lives all year round.”

It showcases the region’s botanical prowess, featuring exhibits from Black-owned flower design groups, after-hours dance parties, and immersive experiences that bring attendees up close and personal with stunning floral displays.

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s event.

The 2024 PHS Flower Show runs March 2 to March 10, open every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., except on the final day, March 10, when it will close at 6 p.m.

Tickets are valid for the date purchased, but can be adjusted if necessary. They are available through the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society website or on-site at the Convention Center. Tickets are available online at tickets.phsonline.org.

Family Fun Packs: Buy two adult and one child tickets or two adult and two child tickets to save $5 on weekdays and $7 on weekends. The discount will automatically appear in your cart. Additional tickets will be priced at the standard rate.

PHS members receive free admission, exclusive hours, and discounts.

🌱 Know to Grow: A gardening speaker series with four opportunities per day to learn about garden design, vegetable gardening, native plants, container gardening, shade gardening, rock gardening, and house plants. New this year. 💵 Free

👪 Kids Cocoon: This kid-centric play place will feature an area for children to learn about pollinators, plant seeds, and take them home. New this year is a coloring book for sale created by Philadelphia artists, with proceeds benefitting PHS greening programs. 💵 Free

👪 Family Frolic: This one-day-only event is March 3, for children to get their faces painted, receive giveaways, and meet mascots and more from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 💵 Free

🐶 Fido Friday: On March 8, bring your furry friends to the Flower Show from 5 to 8 p.m. 💵 Free

🦋 Butterflies Live: The butterflies are back with this immersive exhibit that lets you enter a butterfly habitat, witness their beauty, and respectfully take pictures. Tickets available online at tickets.phsonline.org. 💵 $5

🏺Potting Parties: Collaborate with the Grammy Awards’ flower designer Tu Bloom and take home your very own hand-crafted floral artwork. Tickets available online at tickets.phsonline.org. 💵 $20

✂️ Artisan Row: Back and bigger than last year with seven artists, learn how to make floral crowns, candles, handbags, bouquets, terrariums, vases, and botanical jewelry. Tickets available online at tickets.phsonline.org. 💵 $20-$25

👸 Bloom Bar: No, it’s not an alcohol bar. It’s a walk-up cart with premade floral crown creations for sale to flex some flower power. Tickets available online at tickets.phsonline.org. 💵 $32.41

🌃 Flowers After Hours: The annual Flower Show dance party will take place on March 9 from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to dress in “glamorous shades of white and nude tones with glimmering fabrics, and sparkling accessories in sequins or glittering jackets, gowns, or hats,” and dance to a lineup featuring all-women DJs. Adults 21 and over with ID. Tickets available online at tickets.phsonline.org or on-site until 9 p.m. on March 9. 💵 $75

🎫 Early Morning Tours: Skip the lines and breathe in fresh flowers with the peacefulness of an early morning tour or capture the best floral photos possible with an early bird photography tour. Early morning tours are available every day of the show from 8 to 10 a.m. Tickets available online at tickets.phsonline.org. 💵 $120 for traditional tour and $140 for photography tour

👀 Behind The Blooms Tour: This year introduces a new early hours tour, offering guests who aren’t PHS members a taste of exclusivity. Join seasoned horticulturists to gain deeper insights into the event’s production and discover how the elaborate floral creations are brought to life. Tours are available Monday through Friday from 8 to 10 a.m. Tickets available online at tickets.phsonline.org. 💵 $150

Inside the show, major food and drink concessions are managed by Aramark. There will also be Flower Show vendors serving food, treats, and take-home sweets, particularly in Bloom City on the show floor. Check out the full list of 2024 Flower Show vendors online at phsonline.org/the-flower-show.

But, mere steps from the Convention Center’s entrance are some of the city’s most cherished culinary destinations like Reading Terminal Market and Chinatown.

The 2024 PHS Flower Show will showcase a diverse array of botanical professionals, including Apiary Studio, Black Girl Florists, Jennifer Designs, Kelly D. Norris, Robertson’s Flowers and Events, Tissarose Floral, and the U.S. Geological Survey Team. The full list of 2024 exhibitors can be found online at phsonline.org/the-flower-show.

Don’t forget to check out the yearly competitions between exhibitors in a variety of categories at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Hamilton Horticourt. Individuals, groups of friends or families, and other organizations can compete for the best plants and displays. See the competitive categories for design, plants, and artistic exhibitions online at phsonline.org/the-flower-show/participate/exhibit.

The Convention Center is located at 1101 Arch St. Here’s how you can get there:

The Convention Center recommends parking at one of the lots closest to the show run by ABM Parking, E-Z Park, iParkit Philadelphia, Park America, Parking Facility, Parkway Corp., and SP+ Parking.

You can also park at a Philadelphia Parking Authority garage:

The proceeds from the Flower Show benefit the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s regional programming. This includes neighborhood programs, community gardens, low-cost gardening programs, designing and maintaining public gardens, water conservation, and planting of trees throughout the city.