Kew Celebrates 30 Years of Orchid Festivals with Stunning Chinese-Inspired Displays and Artist Collaborations
Celebrate 30 years of Kew’s Orchid Festival with Chinese-inspired artistry, immersive horticultural displays, and global conservation stories.
Kew Gardens marks the 30th anniversary of its much-loved Orchid Festival from Saturday 7 February to Sunday 8 March 2026 in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. This year’s festival draws inspiration from China’s extraordinary biodiversity, rich cultural heritage, and history of scientific collaboration with Kew, creating a spectacular horticultural celebration.
Visitors will be able to explore immersive displays of orchids and plants alongside new artistic collaborations. Hong Kong-based artist Zheng Bo presents a series of works inspired by Chinese calligraphy, telling the story of five orchids on a journey to the ocean. Yi Crafts, a London-based studio, highlights the vanishing traditional handcrafts of China’s minority communities, while London artist Xiaolan Gu contributes Chinese brush painting-inspired backdrops for the Tropical Orchid Case display.
The festival also showcases Kew’s partnerships with Chinese institutions in Traditional Chinese Medicine, seed banking, and plant digitisation, highlighting its commitment to conservation and scientific research. Visitors can discover orchids from China’s Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, explore cave-inspired installations, and learn about the digitisation of over 190,000 orchid specimens—now accessible online for researchers and enthusiasts worldwide.
The horticultural displays include a majestic Chinese dragon formed from lotus seed heads, orchids, and dried leaves, koi carp crafted from Ginkgo leaves, and themed zones celebrating pandas, red pandas, golden snub-nosed monkeys, and red-crowned cranes. Symbolic references to the Chinese zodiac, including the Year of the Snake (2025) and the Year of the Horse (2026), add further depth and storytelling to the festival experience.
Special After Hours events on Fridays and Saturdays from 13–28 February will feature music, traditional Yunnan clothing, and woodblock printing, creating a vibrant celebration of Chinese culture and artistry.
Entry to the Orchid Festival is included with a ticket to Kew Gardens, with pre-booking required. Tickets are available at kew.org. Quiet sessions are also offered for visitors seeking a more contemplative experience.
Solène Dequiret, Glass House Manager at Kew, explains: “For our 30th Orchid Festival, we are celebrating China’s incredible biodiversity and cultural richness. From intricate orchid displays to symbolic animal sculptures and art, the festival is a joyful reminder of the connections between plants, people, and our planet.”
Elena Leo is the Culture & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.
