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This chapter begins by describing the origins of British garden festivals. It then discusses garden festivals and urban planning; the Liverpool International Garden Festival, 1984; the Stoke-on-Trent National Garden Festival, 1986; the Glasgow Garden Festival, 1988; the Gateshead National Garden Festival, 1990; and the Ebbw Vale Garden Festival, 1992.

This chapter identifies common themes, universal concepts, and traditions as well as emergent trends in garden festivals. The focus is on the open space production of these events. A key question is how and to what extent planning correlates with the ultimate quality of the final site condition, given that garden festivals are essentially self-contained processes that do not always reflect, or follow, local planning policies. The chapter also attempts to cull from selected projects innovative or validating aesthetics of the spatial aspects of the urban experience. Given that there can be considerable debate over just what qualifies as ‘aesthetic’, here it is required that the urban landscape be understandable at a human scale and that it may be apprehended in terms of visual, as well as functional, patterns.

This introductory chapter begins by describing what garden festivals are and how they raise awareness of urban land issues and design. It then outlines the four stages of the festival process. First, there is site acquisition and reclamation, including infrastructure development and the establishment of landscape design and site masterplan. The second stage centres on scheduling, marketing, publicity, and promotion. The third stage is the festival period itself, while the final stage involves festival closure and the dismantling of the site, the dissolution of the festival company and the sale of targeted assets. The discussions then turn to festival economics; sanctioning of festivals; the connection between garden festivals and local planning policies, festivals as exhibitions, and the impact of festivals on urban life.

This chapter begins by tracing the history and development of the garden festival movement in Germany. It then discusses the administration of garden festivals; garden show planning; and the state garden show, Landesgartenschau. It also describes the Stuttgart IGA (international Gartenbauausstellung) 1993; the Munich IGA 1983; the three Hamburg IGAs; the Berlin BUGA (Bundesgartenschauen) 1985; the Potsdam BUGA 2001; and the Rostock IGA 2003.

The post-war garden festival concept, originating in Germany, has moved beyond the Netherlands and Great Britain, with versions adopted elsewhere in Europe, as well as North America and Asia. Despite the scope of design styles, themes, and follow-on development reflective of cultural trends and site contingencies, these events have tended to remain primarily horticultural exhibitions followed by new urban parks. This chapter discusses the Paris Floralies Internationale, 1969; the Wiener Internationale Gartenschau, 1974; the Grün '80, Basle; the AmeriFlora '92; the Expo '90, Osaka; the Les Floralies Internationales de Montréal, 1980; and the Expo '99, Kunming, China.