With the first floating rolling out in 1936, an annual parade in the Netherlands has spent years combining mechanics, sculpture, and millions upon millions of flowers. The spectacle is dubbed Corso Zundert, a parade in the small town of Zundert, consisting of nearly two dozen flower-decorated floats.Known for its Dahlia blooms, the floral jubilee draws international attention every year and is revered for its production value. The parade itself is volunteer-based, however, with different hamlets committing time each summer to construct and enter their float into the September parade. Initially, the participating hamlets numbered at 17, but in recent years, that number has swelled to 20—that’s 20 different floats adorned with perhaps 100,000x that number in Dahlia flowers.
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A special bonus for the most creative and cooperative community: Corso Zundert is also a competition, with its own jury. This year’s winner is a replica of a giant dragon, haunched of leg and constructed with fiery Dahlias in mind.
A short description translated from the Corso Zundert site concedes the small Netherland town is, “crazy about our flower parade. […] By the first Sunday of September, the fever burns within us. Will the moving floats be finished in time? Are there enough enough dahlias? And who is going to win this time?”
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