Toowoomba has a reputation for being the ‘Garden City’, so a few smart noggins thought that segued nicely into a celebration of such. Fair to say the idea was a good one, given the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers will celebrate its 75th anniversary this year with the fitting theme ‘It’s A Party.’
Just weeks after being crowned the best major event in the nation at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, the town’s annual flower festival has revealed its spectacular 75th-anniversary program. More than 80 events and activations will bloom across four weekends from September 13 to October 7, with the return of the iconic Grand Central Floral Parade and the introduction of new events, like a Carnival Memorabilia display and Symphony Under the Stars.
The Carnival of Flowers is still a few months out, but planning is well underway with the Toowoomba Council already busy planting seeds for more than 40 million petals that will splash colour across the city’s major parks like confetti. As always, this year’s major displays are in the Botanic Gardens, Queens Park and Laurel Bank Park, but wandering pretty much anywhere will take you past a photogenic curation of petals.
The official carnival stretches across four weekends, but the main shebang happens on Saturday, September 21 when 75 floral floats will wind through Herries Street, Margaret Street and Hume Street for the Grand Central Floral Parade. Toowoomba will welcome the return of popular events, including #trEATS: a regional food trail of floral-inspired dishes, the Festival of Food and Wine, Laurel Bank’s Twilight Tours, the Cinema Under the Star and the Chronicle Garden Competition.
More than 400,000 people experienced the magic of last year’s record-breaking carnival, and it’s only set to get bigger and better in 2024, with 50-plus exciting new events. Attendees can look forward to the 75th Carnival Memorabilia exhibition, Symphony Under the Stars concerts performed by the full Queensland Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Chief Conductor Umberto Clerici, the expansion of the popular Teddy Bears’ Picnic, and the return of beloved Carnival Queens to share their memories.
The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers will run from September 13 to October 7, and you can find out more on the website here.
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