One million blossoms are taking over the Meatpacking District for the first-ever flower festival this weekend

Can you even imagine what one million flowers blossoming across the city would look like? That's exactly what the L.E.A.F. Festival of Flowers is planning on delighting you with this upcoming weekend.

Although taking place all around New York City, the new annual festival—which has been in the works for five years, was supposed to debut in 2020 but was then delayed given the pandemic—will mostly take over the Meatpacking District.

Kicking off this Saturday, June 12 (11am-7pm) and running through Sunday, June 13 (11am-6pm), the event will feature both a European-style flower market and a slew of installations created by 100 different florists and displayed in retail stores and public spaces within the west-side neighborhood.

Here are some of the included installations, according to the event's official press release:

• Double Rainbow by Aerie: (Southwest side of Gansevoort Plaza) Large scale rainbow floral installation celebrating Pride Month, designed by East Olivia.
• Arhaus: (410 West 13th Street) Storefront floral installations designed by fleursBELLA.
• Chelsea Market: (15th Street, between Ninth & Tenth Avenues) Installations at the entrance and inside the market designed by Damselfly and East Olivia.
• Dante NYC: (551 Hudson Street) Dante will host a floral pop-up with Perrier-Jouët Champagne, designed by Popup Florist.
• Diane Von Furstenberg (874 Washington Street) An in-store floral installation designed by Popup Florist.
• FlowerSchool New York: (10 Little West 12th Street) FlowerSchool New York will be offering a series of 30-minute workshops from 10am-4pm on Saturday and 10am-2pm on Sunday ($35 per person). On Sunday, following the last class, Master Designer Oscar Mora will be giving an Installation Demo and everyone who registers will also receive a complementary Oscar Mora signature flower puzzle. You can register to attend here.
• Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC: (18 Ninth Avenue) Gansevoort Meatpacking will host a floral pop-up with G.H. Mumm Champagne, designed by The Unlikely Florist in celebration of National Rosé Day to benefit ROAR (Restaurants Organizing Advocating Rebuilding) and its advocacy efforts to increase worker equity and to create a sustainable operating formula for restaurants to thrive in New York City.
• Hermès: (46 Gansevoort Street) The leading French luxury retailer will feature a floral Hermès bike and cart at the store, designed by Renny and Reed.
• Lewis Miller Design: (Ninth Avenue Plaza North) Lewis Miller will be doing a series of Flower Flash installations around the Meatpacking District, in collaboration with West Coast street artist Scott Froschauer.
• Marni: (1 Gansevoort Street) In-store experience with International Florist.
• Meatpacking District Installation: (South Side of 14th Street at Ninth Ave and Hudson) Designed by Theresa Rivera Design, a “Rainbow Colonnade,” custom made with Corten steel and wood seating, will be adorned with bursts of anthurium, amaranthus, and eremurus, and clusters of color from delphinium and roses, lilies, orchids, and ginger. It will have vines and willow throughout, as well as landscaped elements, including Japanese maple, columnar ilex, and coleus.
• Neighborhood Goods: (75 Ninth Avenue) Storefront installation designed by East Olivia.
• Theory: (40 Gansevoort Street) View the in-store floral sculpture designed by Popup Florist, and receive a complimentary bouquet with your $400 purchase.
• The Standard: (848 Washington Street) The Standard, High Line will feature signature L.E.A.F-inspired cocktails on the menu for the weekend.
• Three Owls Market: (800 Washington Street) In-store floral installation, designed by Flower Witch.
• TF Cornerstone Floral Cart: (Middle Gansevoort Plaza) Floral cart designed by East Olivia and inspired by our vibrant NYC communities, culminating into a picture-worthy moment in the plaza. Free plant-a-pizza seed papers and tote bags will be handed out for market-goers to enjoy.
• Stella Artois: (Southeast Side of Gansevoort Plaza) Signature Stella Artois airstream adorned with florals, in celebration of Stella’s “Your Table Is Ready” campaign, designed by East Olivia. Stella’s “Your Table Is Ready” summer campaign will inspire you and your friends to eat your hearts out at your favorite restaurants again with a film featuring Padma Lakshmi, a celebratory #FirstStellaBack, a fresh approach to hosting dinner parties with OpenTable, a new 14oz. “Open For Good” aluminum bottle supporting the James Beard Foundation available exclusively in restaurants and bars.
• Warby Parker: (819 Washington Street) In-store floral installation and bouquet give away with sunglass purchase, designed by Oat Cinnamon.
• Whitney Museum of American Art: (99 Gansevoort Street) Artful floral installation designed by FDK Florals.
• Floral Installations: 25 floral plinth installations will adorn the streets of the Meatpacking District.

The market, on the other hand, will be set up within the new public square Gansevoort Plaza. Expect about 25, six-feet-high floral pillars around the area. 

The program will be completely free to attend this year but, according to the New York Times, L.E.A.F. will become a for-profit event starting 2022, "with ticketed lectures, master classes and parties" alongside the market and exhibits. More of a reason to attend this weekend, of course.

Given the year that florists have had to contend with—one made hard by the lack of events and gatherings that sellers rely on for good business—the festival is being hailed as a saving grace, with business owners excited to be dealing with potential customers face-to-face once again. Let's support them this weekend. They deserve it.