This year’s Clanwilliam Wild Flower Show, held annually in the town’s historical Flower Church, has been cancelled because of the drought.
The show would have been held from Friday August 25 to Saturday September 2, but had to be called off because of late-blooming flowers.
“It is with a heavy heart that we eventually decided to cancel the show,” said show chairwoman Alida Stone.“We don’t have enough flowers to build the displays for the show.” About 400 species of freshly cut flowers and plants are used during the festival for the colourful displays.
Ms Stone said all the other festival activities for the week would go ahead, including music concerts, art competitions, hikes and markets.
Rika du Plessis, conservation manager of Cape Nature Cederberg, said the rainfall for the first seven months of the year was the worst since 1953.
The Darling Wildflower Society’s Michelle Linder said it had also noted fewer flowers but its show would go on.
“It is our centenary show so we have to have one. We will continue even if there are no flowers. We have seen some coming out, so we’ll hopefully get more rain and have flowers until mid-September.”