From Winter to Spring, there is no other city that welcomes a seasonal change quite like Canberra. Floriade is an annual running event that is considered to be the biggest celebration of Spring. For the past 32 years, the Floriade has displayed the blooming of millions of flowers throughout Canberra’s Commonwealth Park and this year is no different and once again, entry into the event is free.
Nicknamed this year as The World of Bloom, this Floriade runs from the 14th of September to the 13th of October, 9:30am - 5:30pm. However, if you choose to visit the festival after the sun sets between the 3rd and 6th of October, you will be greeted with NightFest, where the entire park becomes an illuminated flower wonderland. Unfortunately, unlike during the day, entry to the Nightfest will set you back $31.95 per person.
A display of Floriade’s Nightfest
Sourced from: Floriade Australia
To escape the wet weather in Sydney, we visited the Floriade during the first week. The torrential downpour that Sydney was witnessing really did contrast the calm and peaceful Canberra weather. Despite the rain, the drive itself took only about 3 hours and as we closed on Canberra, the wet weather subsided.
The festival itself is located very close to the heart of Canberra’s CBD at Commonwealth Park. While entrance into the event itself is free of charge, parking was not. However, because we visited during the week, the parking lot wasn’t very busy, which allowed us to nab a spot quite close to the entrance.
Upon entering, you are quickly greeted with a myriad of flowers. There are also various stores scattered throughout the festival, selling goods from food to lounge chairs and even ladders. For anyone who enjoys tulips, this festival is a definite must-visit, the festival is covered with field and fields of tulips with various different bright (and dark) colours with most of them being either bloomed or just about to bloom.
A field of White Tulips
No festival would be complete without some live entertainment and thankfully, Floriade doesn’t disappoint here either. A stage is located in the centre of the festival and alongside it are various food stalls to keep you well fed. There’s even a bar area for you to enjoy some drinks while observing the entertainment. If you fancy a birds-eye view of the festival, look no further than the Ferris Wheel. For the kids that aren’t really into the flowers, Floriade offers a section called Kidzklub, which has a few rides and activities to keep the kids occupied. If you’re looking for something that will appeal to both you and the kids, Gnome painting is also back again, with a wide range of creative and interesting gnome creations
Creative & Wonderful Gnome Creations
A field of colour
All in all, if you’re looking for something to do or someplace to go, why not head out to Canberra? While there is that stigma that Canberra is “boring” or “uninteresting”, it definitely isn’t. It’s a fantastic place to escape to and explore. They also really do know how to say goodbye to Winter and welcome Spring!
For anyone who wants to read more about this years Floriade, please click here
Floriade 2019 Map
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