The 2017 Newport Flower Show, themed Fête Des Fleurs: Paintings and Parterres, will celebrate its 22nd year with a variety of special events, expert guest speakers, beautiful floral designs, impressive horticulture exhibits, stunning garden displays, unique shopping opportunities, and more. Inspired by France, America’s premier summer flower show will transport guests’ imaginations to the place that has inspired generations of artists and gardeners. Attendees will travel on a French adventure, from grand gardens to Paris chic, at Rosecliff, one of Newport’s most beautiful historic mansions modeled after the Grand Trianon of Versailles. The Show opens on Friday, June 23 and runs through Sunday, June 25, 2017.
Show Highlights:
The Show will feature celebrity floral designer Jeff Leatham and noted scholar on French garden history Dr. Eric T. Haskell as special guest speakers. Guests will have the rare opportunity to learn from the uniquely talented Leatham, who works as the Artistic Director of the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris in addition to designing events for celebrities and world leaders like His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, and many more. Haskell, Professor of French Studies & Humanities and Director of the Clark Humanities Museum at Scripps College in California, will share his knowledge on French gardens, their history, and more with guests at the Newport Flower Show.
Fashion icon and interior designer Iris Apfel will also join the Newport Flower Show’s Afternoon Tea reception on Friday, June 23for a conversation on her fabulous life, fashion, and style.
The Opening Night Party, the unofficial “kickoff to summer in Newport,” will take place on Friday, June 23 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with a cocktail buffet, live music and dancing, a seaside supper, and other entertaining surprises. The show will continue through the weekend with unforgettable garden exhibits, horticultural entries, floral designs, and children’s programs, all staged throughout the elegant reception rooms of Rosecliff, its oceanfront terrace and lawn.
New this year, the Newport Flower Show will offer a Fête de la Lune (Feast by Moonlight) at Rosecliff on Saturday, June 24 from6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Guests can spend an evening strolling through the display gardens, shopping with Flower Show vendors on the front lawn, and viewing the floral designs inside Rosecliff before the sun sets, then can enjoy a summer picnic basket supper on the grounds while viewing the display gardens. Attendees can also opt to stay after supper for a viewing of the 2015 hit movie “A Little Chaos” starring Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, and Stanley Tucci; film tickets are sold separately.
The expansive front lawn of Rosecliff will once again be transformed, this year taking inspiration from the fountain at the Centre Pompidue in Paris. Colorful garden plantings and boxwood-edge parterre beds will complement a series of kinetic sculptures representing the elements earth, wind, and fire. A formal garden layout and grand allee, garden pavilions, and a French market will create a park-like setting for visitors entering the Show.
The Afternoon Tea reception will be held on the front lawn of Rosecliff on Friday, June 23 at 3:00 p.m. Guests will be treated to a sampling of savory and sweet delicacies as well as flavored versions of iced or hot teas. Interior designer and fashion icon Iris Apfel will engage guests in a conversation about fashion, style and life.
The Sunday Champagne & Jazz Brunch is a great way to ease into the last day of the Newport Flower Show on Sunday, June 25 at 11:00 a.m. Guests will enjoy a delicious brunch while sipping champagne and listening to cool jazz on the front lawn of Rosecliff.
Luncheon lectures by Jeff Leatham and Dr. Eric T. Haskell are scheduled on Friday and Saturday. Leatham is considered the most exciting floral designer in the world. Awarded the prestigious “Knighthood” (“Chevalier de L’Order des Arts et Letters”), the French Government’s highest honor for artists, Jeff designed the first major event to be held in the famed “Galerie des Glaces” (Hall of Mirrors) at Versailles since the time of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. His work is compared to contemporary art and his vase designs were so exquisite that the Dallas Museum purchased them for their permanent collection. His work is featured at international cultural, business and entertainment events.
Dr. Eric T. Haskell will share his vast knowledge on French gardens with Newport Flower Show attendees during his lecture “Lasting Landscapes: The French Formal Garden.” Haskell received his Ph.D. in French Literature from the University of California, Irvine, and also studied Art History and Architecture in the graduate program at UCI and at the École du Louvre in Paris. He has delivered over 550 public lectures and scholarly papers in 28 states and 11 foreign countries. In 2013 Haskell received two of France’s highest honors: Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académics (Knight of the Order of Academic Palms) and Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters).
Free lectures and demonstrations by noted plant experts, flower designers and gardeners will also be presented throughout the weekend.
The Newport Flower Show will be open to the public from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 23, and from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.on both Saturday and Sunday, June 24 & 25.
Newport Flower Show Dates, Hours, & Pricing:
Advance sale and Preservation Society member admission tickets are $20 per person; tickets sold at the door will be $25. One-day Show tickets for children between 6 – 17 are $6.
- Friday, June 23: 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Saturday, June 24: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Sunday, June 25: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Opening Night Party:
Friday, June 23, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
$150 for Preservation Society members and $175 for non-members; after June 9, $170 for Preservation Society members and $200 for non-members
NEW Fête de la Lune and “A Little Chaos” Film Viewing:
Saturday, June 24, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. supper; film viewing begins at 7:45 p.m.
$70 for evening admission and boxed picnic supper; $10 for viewing of “A Little Chaos”
Afternoon Tea Reception:
Friday, June 23, 3:00 p.m.
$65 ticket price includes one-day Show admission
Sunday Champagne & Jazz Brunch:
Sunday, June 25, 11:00 a.m.
$90 ticket price includes one-day Show admission
Lecture Luncheons with Jeff Leatham and Dr. Eric T. Haskell
Friday, June 23 with Jeff Leatham: 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 24 with Dr. Eric T. Haskell: 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
$100 for Luncheon & Lecture; $50 for Lecture only; ticket price includes one-day Show admission
