The Knocturnal
Witchery, the Stunning Halloween Floral Experience at the Edge, Unveils Three New Installations
By Paul Chi
October 18, 2024
Witchery, a mesmerizing Halloween floral experience of iconic witches located at the Edge in New York City, just added three new enchanting displays to their immersive installation. The latest additions are Winifred Sanderson from Hocus Pocus, The White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia and Marie Laveau, the legendary Voodoo Queen of New Orleans.
The magnificent Witchery exhibition (open from October 4 through October 31) has transformed the Edge—the highest indoor/outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere located at Hudson Yards—into a spellbinding witchy wonderland featuring the most beautiful floor-to-ceiling floral installations and 10-foot-tall mannequins dressed in flowers. Each of the seven botanical mannequins depicts iconic witches from films, literature and folklore.
The spectacular floral celebration has been put together by Fleurs de Villes, the world-renowned bespoke floral show company that is responsible for combining the love of flowers, local design talent, and bespoke into the most stunning and unique displays of flower art for events, like Witchery. Fleurs de Villes (translated as flowers of the cities in French) also works with top local florists, designers, growers and nurseries in each city they launch their displays in order to showcase that city’s world-class talent. Manhattan based florist Matthew David Norman created the astonishing look for Jadis, the White Witch, from C.S. Lewis’s 1950 novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which is part of the Chronicles of Narnia saga. The fabulous display is located on the southern part of the Edge’s observation deck.
The large-scale floral installation of the Salem witch Winifred Sanderson, from Hocus Pocus, will be a hit with guests. Created by Mahopac, a New York based florist, the mannequin perfectly depicts actress Bette Midler‘s character. Her green dress is made out of enlarged leaves and shows off her signature red hair made of flowers.
The last of the new installations is of Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, who became prominent in the early 19th Century and developed into a powerful figure in the city’s folklore. Made by Polycarp Flowers, a black-owned, woman-owned florist based in Summit, New Jersey, the figure is gorgeously made of all white flowers including bouquets that magnificently fill up both of her frock’s sleeves.
In addition to the three debuts, there’s a remarkable display of Ursula, from Walt Disney’s animated film The Little Mermaid, featuring her prominent tentacles. There’s also Elphaba, best known as The Wicked Witch, from The Wizard of Oz. The installation, made by Freeform Floral, is 100 percent real. It was dried and preserved and took over 200 hours to complete. Her accessories include floral Louboutin heels made of black and red roses. Then there’s Glinda, the Good Witch, from The Wizard of Oz, dressed in gorgeous pink flowers to depict her voluminous gown and shimmering crown. Created by East Orange, New Jersey florist Raffy Blooms Magic, the mannequin of Glinda proudly stands right in front of the Empire State Building. The views of the two are incredible.
A massive witch’s cauldron is also on display that is a perfect spot for a photo. Made by Polycarp Flowers, this spooky floral witch’s cauldron is an emblem of ancient magic that dates back to ancient Celtic traditions. There’s also an installation of mirrors garnished with flowers to take some more selfies. Then there’s the figure of Maleficent, from Walt Disney’s 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty, located on the 4th floor of The Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards near the Edge’s main entrance to the multimedia experience to entice visitors in.
All Edge ticket holders have access to this all-weather experience located on the indoor sky deck at no additional cost from October 4 through Halloween. The Witchery exhibition is highly recommended and not to be missed this spooky season.
