Chelsea In Bloom is absolutely serving space-age magic this year with its “Out of This World” theme, and it all ends on Sunday, 24th May! We explored all the FREE floral installations on its very first day (18th May), but as always, I am late publishing it here on the blog. You can still check out the full walkthrough video on my channel or the reels on my social media pages, though!
Chelsea In Bloom 2026: A Complete Guide To London’s FREE Flower Festival
If you’re planning to visit London this Sunday or maybe even next year, this post is for you! The event routes remain almost the same every year, with only the theme and a couple of shops changing.
How to Get To Chelsea From Milton Keynes:
If you’re travelling from Milton Keynes, the easiest way to reach Chelsea is by taking a direct train from Milton Keynes Central to London Euston, which usually takes around 35 to 45 minutes depending on the service. From Euston, you can either take the London Underground or simply book a cab if you want a more relaxed journey, especially if you’re carrying camera gear, shopping bags or already tired from an early start like we were!
We actually went to London’s VFS Centre at Goswell Road early in the morning first. From there, we took a cab and reached Chelsea, Sloane Square in around 40 minutes. The drive itself was quite nice because you slowly start seeing the prettier parts of central London, and then suddenly you’re surrounded by dreamy floral displays everywhere!!
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Chelsea In Bloom – The Central Displays & Other Things To See
Chelsea in Bloom 2026 is themed Out of This World and features over 125 floral installations across Chelsea, alongside large-scale cosmic displays including zodiac constellations, UFOs, mythical creatures and a floral globe honouring David Attenborough’s 100th birthday.
Chelsea In Bloom runs alongside the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, but unlike the ticketed flower show, THIS festival is completely free to explore.
The first thing you need to do is download the event map from the official website. The map includes all the important information about the routes and participating locations for the year.
We started our walk from one side of Sloane Square Tube Station, wandered all the way to Old Church Street, and then looped back to Sloane Square again.
You can begin the Chelsea In Bloom trail from either Sloane Square or Knightsbridge Tube Station depending on which side you want to explore first.
We didn’t make it to the Knightsbridge side this time, which means we sadly missed one of the festival’s major central displays, the stunning floral Pegasus sculpture.
The shops, cafés, hotels and restaurants across Chelsea have transformed their storefronts into giant floral art installations inspired by space travel, astrology, cosmic worlds, mythology and spiritual symbolism 😍.
We had never been to this event before, so I was naturally super excited about it. We decided to visit on the first day of this free floral show to avoid the crowds, yet by noon on a Monday, the streets were already packed!
Also, it took almost three hours on foot to explore all the installations from Sloane Square to Old Church Street, including photos and selfies, so wear comfortable shoes for this event.
There are a few cute photo spots across Chelsea as well for this blooming event. So expect long queues for selfies or decent shots, especially if you’re visiting on weekends!
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The Main Highlights:
At Sloane Square, right in the centre, is one of the biggest installations this year: a giant zodiac-inspired floral constellation. Covered in thousands of fresh blooms, celestial patterns and glowing cosmic details, this display is basically the heart of Chelsea In Bloom 2026.
If you believe in astrology, you’ll definitely love this installation. Honestly, this is the kind of thing that makes strangers stop in the middle of the pavement just to stare. The adjacent fountain adds extra charm to the display!
My moon sign is LEO and my sun sign is CANCER, so I had to take photos with both zodiac displays, haha!
Next to Sloane Square is one of the most unique displays at Pavilion Road. Because apparently Chelsea decided a UFO floral installation hovering above the street was completely normal this year!
This display is one of the most photographed spots of the festival and honestly, I get it. The marigold flowers, metallic textures and floating illusion make it feel straight out of a sci-fi movie. Those aliens look so real, trust me!
Behind the display, the lane is fully decked out with colorful ribbons hanging from the top, making it the perfect spot to take amazing photos.
A short walk later, you’ll arrive at Duke of York Square. This area has been transformed into a lunar-inspired floral landscape with space-age textures, dreamy lighting and surreal floral structures. It feels futuristic but still soft and romantic somehow. It gives off very “Pinterest board comes to life” vibes.
The main attraction here is the Moon Landing Scene featuring a floral astronaut display.
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Now let’s head towards Sloane Street 🐉 where things get a bit dramatic! A giant mythical dragon and Pegasus installation rises above the street, surrounded by cosmic florals and celestial details.
As I mentioned before, we couldn’t see the PEGASUS installation in person this year, but the massive dragon sculpture breathing red flowers (depicting fire) and the Medusa installation totally blew my mind away! The scale of these displays in real life is honestly insane. Photos genuinely do not do them justice.
The next stop is King’s Road. One of the most meaningful installations this year is the enormous floral globe created to celebrate Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday.
The globe is designed to look like Earth seen from space, and it’s easily one of the most emotional displays of the festival. It’s a beautiful structure, but also a reminder of nature, conservation and how connected everything really is.
One thing I LOVED about Chelsea In Bloom is that every shop interprets the theme differently. Some displays feel glamorous and fashion-inspired, some are playful and weird, some look like movie sets, and some are just completely over-the-top in the best possible way.
You never really know what’s waiting around the next corner. Every five seconds, you’ll probably stop and say, “Wait… I need another photo.” 😍
There are also some beautiful displays slightly tucked away from the main street, such as Timothy Oulton’s Mars-themed installation or Mother’s moon-inspired displays. Make sure you explore every nook and side lane so you don’t miss out on any hidden gems.
I’m keeping this blog post very short because I want you to check out the walkthrough video on my channel for the full experience. Videos are always better when it comes to enjoying such interesting events, don’t you think?
Even if you miss this year’s event, no worries. You can always visit next year, as Chelsea in Bloom is an annual spring event.
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