Summary
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show has no dress code, jump to The rules. Most visitors wear smart casual clothes, and the RHS members’ days at the start of the week tend to be dressier than the public days. The showground is a temporary outdoor site in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the Chelsea Pensioners, and you will be on your feet for hours. Comfortable shoes, jump to Shoes and weather matter more than anything else you wear. Our evening option, Spring Nocturne, jump to Evening, runs until 10pm, so bring a layer for after sunset. Jump to Men or Women below.
The 2027 show runs from Tuesday 18 to Saturday 22 May. The show is run by the Royal Horticultural Society, a gardening charity. Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 May are its members’ days, when it sells admission only to members. Our booking includes admission, so you do not need to be a member. Thursday to Saturday are public days. The showground is open from 8am to 8pm, apart from the final Saturday, when it closes at 5.30pm. On Friday 21 May the RHS also runs Chelsea Late, an evening session from 5.30pm to 10pm.
Is there a dress code?
There is no formal dress code anywhere at the show, including the Spring Garden, the dining garden where we host our guests. Most visitors go smart casual. At Chelsea that usually means a summer dress or tailored trousers with a blazer or light jacket, and shoes made for walking.
Both of our options include private cloakroom facilities in the Spring Garden, which helps on a day when the weather changes.
Daytime in the Spring Garden
Spring Meridian is our daytime option, from 8am to 5pm on all five days. Breakfast comes with brunch cocktails, lunch is four courses and afternoon tea is served later with a gelato cart. In between you are free to walk the show gardens, which are built for the week and judged. The Great Pavilion is the large marquee at the centre of the showground, and it holds the nursery displays.
A daytime visit means hours of walking and standing, then sitting down to lunch at a private table in the Spring Garden. You need something you can walk in all day that still looks right at a lunch table, and a light jacket covers a cool morning and a warm afternoon. Spring Meridian suits a group that wants the whole day at the show, with breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea built around it.
Evening in the Spring Garden
Spring Nocturne is our evening option, from 3.30pm to 10pm on Tuesday to Friday. There is no Saturday sitting. You walk the show gardens from half past three as the day crowds thin out. The Spring Garden opens at six for drinks and bar snacks on the terrace, followed by a Champagne and canapé reception and four courses by candlelight.
Spring Nocturne suits a group that would rather see the gardens in the evening light and finish with dinner, and that enjoys dressing for it. A dress or a suit works for the candlelit dinner, with shoes that are comfortable for the walk round the show beforehand. The temperature drops once the sun goes down, so bring a jacket, a wrap or a light coat for the terrace.
Men
A tie is optional at Chelsea. A jacket is still worth wearing, because the mornings and evenings in May can be cool.
- DaytimeChinos or tailored trousers with a shirt and an unstructured jacket. Example: stone chinos, a pale blue linen-mix shirt and a navy cotton blazer, with suede loafers or leather trainers. Or a lightweight grey suit worn with an open collar.
- Members’ daysA notch smarter than the public days. Example: a light wool suit in mid-blue with a white shirt and a knitted tie, worn with brown brogues you have already walked in.
- Spring NocturneA suit or a blazer and trousers, which fits a candlelit dinner. A tie is your choice. Example: a navy suit with a white shirt and a silk pocket square. Or a dark green linen jacket with grey trousers.
Women
Floral prints are a common choice at a show about flowers. A hat is not expected, though a straw hat earns its place on a sunny afternoon.
- DaytimeA midi dress, a skirt and blouse, or tailored trousers with a light jacket. Example: a floral tea dress with a denim or cotton jacket and white leather trainers. Or wide-leg trousers, a silk shirt and flat sandals.
- Members’ daysDressier than the public days. Example: a printed midi dress with a tailored blazer and block-heel sandals. Or a pastel trouser suit with loafers.
- Spring NocturneA dress or jumpsuit that works at a dinner table, with a layer for the terrace. Example: a long-sleeved silk midi dress with low block heels. Or a dark jumpsuit with a cropped jacket and flat sandals for the walk round the gardens first.
Garden hosts run flower crown and perfumery workshops in the Spring Garden on both Spring Meridian and Spring Nocturne.
Shoes, weather and what to carry
Shoes you have already walked in
You will cover a lot of ground between the show gardens and the Great Pavilion. Shoes you have already worn comfortably for a long walk are the safest choice.
Nothing that sinks
Most of the showground is on hard surfaces, but it is a temporary outdoor site and grassy parts can be soft. Flats and smart trainers suit a day of walking. Wider heels are less likely to sink than thin ones.
A layer and a light raincoat
May can be warm at midday and cool in the evening, and a shower is always possible.
Sunglasses and sun cream
Most of the showground is outdoors, so a sunny day means hours in the sun.
A small bag
A crossbody bag leaves your hands free for a glass, a programme and a camera.
Chelsea with us
We host guests in the Spring Garden, run by the caterer Alison Price and Company, which is back at the show in 2027 for its fifth year. The chef patrons are Jeremy Chan and Max Coen. Chan’s London restaurant, Ikoyi, holds two Michelin stars. Coen won Dorian, also in London, its Michelin star. Both options include admission to the showground and a private table in the Spring Garden. The garden bar pours Pommery Champagne and cocktails. Live entertainment, the flower crown and perfumery workshops and the cloakroom are part of both.
Tell us the day and how many of you there are, and we will come back with what is available.
Daniella McBride
Sales Manager
Sales Manager at Imperial Corporate Events. Whatever you’re booking, sport or music, she’s easy to plan with and stays on it until it’s right.
