Each September, a parade of flowers fills a small town in the Netherlands with color. The town, called Zundert (ZUN-dert), is known for producing dahlia flowers. Teams of artists decorate the parade floats with the colorful flowers.
Called the Corso Zundert, the parade is an annual tradition that began in 1936. Crowds gather to marvel at the enormous sculptures. Some floats are more than 60 feet long and 30 feet tall. Support frames made from steel wire, cardboard, and papier-mâché hide under the arrangements of thousands of dahlias.
Zundert is also the birthplace of Post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. Since 2015 marked 125 years since the artist’s death, parade organizers decided to celebrate Van Gogh during the parade. The artist’s life and work inspired all 19 of the floats.
Teams of artists and designers competed to create the most magnificent floral floats. The winning float, above, titled Adieu Vincent (Goodbye, Vincent in French), depicts the painter on his deathbed. The artists worked with a vibrant palette of purple, pink, white, orange, and yellow dahlia flowers.