Lights, flowers, and a whole lot of vibe flowed through the heart of the city at Kanakakunnu Palace grounds, even before Christmas and New Year, as Vasantholsavam began on December 24. The annual flower festival has seen a bigger turnout than previous years, with organisers stating that over 1.5 lakh people had already visited the venue till Wednesday.
When the gates open at 10 am, the crowds are thinner, owing to soaring temperatures during the day. As the sun goes down, the palace grounds grow noticeably more active.
Ticket queues lengthen, traffic slows along the road outside, the lights switch on, and the flowers begin to sparkle under the illumination. Food stalls that remain quiet in the morning come alive by evening, filling the air with the aroma of different bhajis, sweet corn and even payasam, while ice cream and lassi counters active since morning continue to draw visitors.
By evening, street vendors selling earrings, clothes and bags line the pathways, and helium balloons in different shapes float through the air alongside soap bubbles that attract children. The space, filled with sound and movement, sees families, tourists and visitors enjoying the festival in what many describe as a safe and festive vacation spot.
“From around 4 pm, the crowd starts coming in. People come to experience the night view, the colours and the lights. We have been managing it properly to date,” said a policeman on ground duty.
At night, visitors are welcomed at the entrance by an illuminated sleigh with reindeer, leading into a series of light installations spread across the palace grounds. These include glowing floral and leaf-shaped structures, and a tunnel of lights.
Among the major attractions are an electric forest, where trees and structures are lit to create a technology-driven nightscape, and a space tunnel, a cosmic-themed light corridor, a tunnel of shades that uses light and shadow to form shifting patterns, and the crystal forest, with trees wrapped in pink and blue lights.
Interactive installations include Light Amaze, a glowing labyrinth, the windmill-themed World of Reflections, and the Mirror Garden, the Garden of Infinity, designed to create the illusion of endless light, and Kaleido-House, inspired by kaleidoscope patterns, continue to draw steady crowds.
The venue is divided into themed zones, including a Scandinavian Christmas section with an igloo-like structure creating a snow-world experience. The China Town zone features the Giant Red Dragon and a lantern-lit pathway, while the Flaming Grounds uses high-intensity lighting to mimic the movement of fire.
Organised by the State Tourism department in association with the DTPC, this edition has also seen an increase in the plant competitions.
In terms of numbers, the Tourism Department alone displayed around 35,000 plants, while the competition sector contributed another 15,000 plants, taking the total to over 50,000 plants at the flower show. Organisers noted that the quality and number of plants were better than in previous years.
“I come here every year to find rare plants. Every time the festival blows my mind with the collection, and this year is no different. It helps me make my garden more beautiful,” said Priyanka P U, a schoolteacher from Neyyattinkara.
“The festival is entering its final days, and we are expecting more people to visit,” said M Saleem, one of the curators of the festival from the Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Garden team.
With each passing evening, the palace grounds stay busy, with people hanging around longer, walking a little slower, and taking in the lights and flowers in their own time. Over the years, Vasantholsavam has evolved into more than just an annual event, becoming a space where the city comes together to take a break and enjoy the season.
Vasantholsavam will conclude on Sunday.