Van Gogh Parade Drops the Mic on Flower-Covered Floats
The Rose Parade in Pasadena is great, but for sheer flower-powered amazement, it’s hard to top Holland’s amazing Corso Zundert.
Last week, 19 monumental sculptures, each adorned with almost half a million brightly colored dahlias, rolled through this small Dutch town of Zundert as part of its legendary annual flower parade. This year, the parade paid tribute to the town’s most famous one-time resident, Vincent Van Gogh.
To mark the 125th anniversary of Van Gogh’s death, 19 competing teams were tasked with creating parade floats that celebrate the life and work of the beloved local artist, and they didn’t hold back! The monumental results could dwarf Van Gogh’s own house.
The parade has been a tradition since 1936, when residents wished Queen Wilhelmina a happy birthday by tying locally plucked flowers to their bicycles and horse-drawn carriages — but since then, the ante has been upped.
The region has become one of the largest dahlia suppliers in the world. About 600,000 bulbs are planted on 81 acres, and parade organizers estimate that roughly 400,000 dahlias are used per float.
They’ve even had to put size limits on these massive sculptures. According to the rules, the allowed size of one car maxes out at 62 feet long, 15 feet wide and 30 feet high. Of course, there is no limit to how many cars you can use in your float, so all bets are off!
Any chance we can have these when you’re done, Holland?
Also on Yahoo Makers:
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Live Bees Are Part of Sculpture at NYC Museum
These Flower Arrangements Will Freeze You In Your Tracks
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