The International Garden Festival was a garden festival recognised by the International Association of Horticultural producers (AIPH) and the Bureau of International Exhibitions and held in Liverpool, England from 2 May 1984 to 14 October 1984. It was the first such event held in Britain, and became the model for several others held during the 1980s and early 1990s. The aim was to revitalise tourism and the city of Liverpool which had suffered cutbacks, and the idea came from Conservative Environment Minister Michael Heseltine.The festival was hugely popular, attracting 3,380,000 visitors.