Dilip Guha ★ New Delhi : As the vibrant colors of spring unfold and beautiful flowers bloom, Delhi Tourism is set to present the 37th Garden Tourism Festival. This enchanting event will be held from 21st to 23rd February 2025 at the Garden of Five Senses, Said-ul-Ajaib, near Saket Metro Station, New Delhi. This expansive 20-acre haven provides a moment of peace amid the busy life.
The first Garden Tourism Festival was launched in 1988 at DDA Park, Greater Kailash. Due to its overwhelming success, it became an annual celebration. Over the years, this festival has been hosted at iconic locations such as India Gate and Talkatora Garden.
This three-day festival is a paradise for garden enthusiasts, eagerly awaited by Delhiites and nature lovers alike. It showcases the dedication and hard work of passionate gardeners and serves as a platform for them to exchange knowledge, ideas, and expertise.
Each year, the Garden Tourism Festival is organized around a unique theme. This year’s theme is “Get Happiness and Health from Gardening.”
The primary goal of the Garden Tourism Festival is to raise environmental awareness among the people of Delhi. By encouraging gardening within homes, balconies, and terraces, and by decorating these spaces with flowers and plants, families can enjoy cleaner air and better health through chemical-free vegetables grown in pots.
The Garden Tourism Festival showcases the combined efforts of various participants, including the Horticulture Department, government organizations, institutions, nurseries, and individual gardeners. Their plant and flower exhibits make the festival a grand success.
Organizations such as NDMC, DJB, DDA, Northern Railway, Indian NurseryMen Association, Delhi University, Airport Authority, Hero MotoCorp, Kumar Mangalam, Netaji Subhash Technical University, G.D. Goenka, and IP University, among others, create miniature gardens for competition, presenting models based on specific themes.
Competitions are held across 32 categories, including exhibitions of a wide variety of plants—from cactus to dahlias, flowering plants like chrysanthemums, lilies, and roses, plants in hanging baskets, seasonal flowers, fruits and vegetables, animal and bird figures made from flowers, aromatic plants, tray gardens, and artistic flower arrangements.
The festival aims to invoke environmental awareness among Delhiites. The more we promote gardening in our daily lives, the more our lives become joyous and healthy. Gardening provides peace to the human mind and protects us from the hazards of pollution.
At the Garden Tourism Festival, various institutions and nurseries, alongside the Horticulture Departments of Government organizations, participate and contribute to the festival’s success by exhibiting their plants and flowers. The hard work of gardening enthusiasts is showcased in the festival, providing a platform for gardeners to exchange their views.
An impromptu painting competition will be organized for school children tomorrow, and a play “Heer Ranjha” will be performed. Every evening, a colorful program will be organized.
Additionally, plants, equipment, and fertilizers used in gardens will be available for sale. The festival will run from 21st to 23rd February 2025, from 11 am to 8 pm.
