Over the years, the local population and associations took ownership of the festival and worked hard to make each parade ever more beautiful.
Bicycles were particularly prominent during these years, with the regular participation of the ‘Vélo-club Etoile’ and later the ‘En Avant’ workers' cycling club.
The Second World War brought the Corso to an abrupt halt.
Interrupted during the Second World War, the Corso resumed in 1947 with prisoners of war from Saint-Dié and Remiremont as guests of honour.
Everyone wanted to celebrate again and forget those dark years.
1951: The Corso Fleuri inaugurates its first wine fair with winegrowers from the canton.
1953: Barriers are erected for the first time to collect admission fees.
1954 was a year of significant change, spurred on by Albert Ehm, Mayor of Sélestat from 1953 to 1965, who decided that there would be a single theme for each Corso Fleuri (which is still the case today). The cultivation of dahlias by the municipal services guarantees an almost complete supply for the floats. The making of the wooden carcasses is now entrusted to the municipal workshops.
1957: Creation of the Corso tiercé: votes to select the 3 floats preferred by the public.
1958: For safety reasons, horses were definitively abandoned in favour of tractors.
In 1960, the town council decided to innovate by proposing an additional parade: the ‘Corso aux lumières’ (Corso of lights) to extend the festival into the night. The initiative met with some success, but was discontinued in 1965. It wasn't until 1999 that the night parade was reinstated.
1964: A firework display was launched from the tower of Saint-Georges church.
These years saw a change in the way the floats were set up, with flowers glued to metal frames instead of nailed to wooden elements. The fireworks were now fired at the Lac de Canotage.
Several Corso themes have left their mark. Among them, the ‘Walt Disney Festival’ in 1983, ‘Tintin in the Land of Dahlias’ in 1986 and ‘Vive la Révolution’ in 1989.
In 1990, Tomi Ungerer designed the poster for the Corso Fleuri on the theme of ‘Transport and communication’ and made headlines with his flowery Alsatian riding a gorilla.
The Corso enters the turn of the century with serenity, and the spirit of the festivities remains intact.
Since 2002, the talent of artist Eric Ball has brought creativity and humour to the parade.
In 2004, the parades were moved from Sunday to Saturday to allow families to make the most of the event.
2008: creation of the flavours and crafts market
2009: creation of the children's square
2018: The parade returns to being free of charge.
2019 : Return to nailing and stapling dahlias as part of an eco-responsible approach.