At Ahmedabad Flower Show, installation cost more than ticket revenue

Over 2.5 lakh visitors dropped in the past three years, shows data till January 18 with the AMC. From 9.06 lakh visitors who witnessed the show in 2024, the number dropped to 6.52 lakh this year. This data is recorded across 18 days of the flower show in both the years.

Amrish C Patel, principal director general, parks and garden department of AMC, told The Indian Express on Monday, “Several factors are responsible for this decline this year. As per the feedback we have received, the major reasons could be the traffic issue and the ticket price.”

The highest footfall across these three years is recorded on January 14 and 15, both public holidays for Uttarayan. However, even on these days only 78,700 entries were recorded as against last year when the entries crossed a lakh on a single day – January 14.

The flower show, inaugurated on New Year day, was initially scheduled to close on January 22. This year, the show has an entry fee of Rs 80 from Monday to Friday and Rs 100 on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. Free entry on all days is available for all persons with disabilities, soldiers, children aged 12 years and below, and students of AMC-run schools.

Additionally, a premium slot entry fee of Rs 500 applies for visitors from 8 to 9 am and 10 pm to 11 pm.

Of these, the night slot has been cancelled.

From the time it first began in 2013 coinciding with the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit, as a massive decorated garden showcasing flowers, plants and cactuses of various varieties, and stalls selling garden wares, the flower show has grown into a major thematic exhibition centred around plants and flowers.

In 2023, the show coincided with another of the Vibrant Gujarat biennial summits and showcased plant and flower arranged in sculptures depicting the new parliament building, Statue of Unity, the torans of Vadnagar, the Modhera sun temple and so on. Last year, some of the themes were on ‘Good governance’.

This year, the flower show at the Sabarmati Riverfront Events centre is themed on ‘Bharat Ek Gatha’ and was put up at the cost of Rs 17 crore. The floral installations at the 14th International Flower Show in Ahmedabad present the country’s achievements through sculptures of the upcoming bullet train, renewable energy, sports, space technology and education.

“Against this cost we have already earned around Rs 10 crore through ticketing, sponsorships and rentals from stalls. Due to micro irrigation deployed this year, the cost was drastically cut as water is the major expense at the show,” a senior AMC official said.

However, with the extension by another week, the footfall could rise but the maintenance is set to further escalate, say officials. The cut flowers sourced from Pune and Kolkata used on sculptures are replaced every third-fourth day.

Thus, the six rounds of replacement of flowers will increase to eight across 29 days.

Under the new schedule implemented from January 16, the flower show now remains open until 10 pm instead of 9 pm. On-site ticket counters close at 9 pm and all visitors are required to exit the premises by 10 pm. The AMC has also cancelled VIP ticket arrangements for night slots. However, VIP access will continue to be available in the morning.

VIP tickets can be availed between 7 am and 8 am, with visiting hours from 8 am to 9 am.