Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers 2023

Every year when spring hits, Toowoomba becomes the brightest place in southeast Queensland. Blooms blossom, greenery sprouts and flora reaches towards the sun — that's right, it's Carnival of Flowers time.

For 2023, mark all of September in your diary and get ready for a colourful month-long floral fiesta. The event previously only ran for ten days, but in 2021 and 2022, it stuck around for an entire month — and it's doing the same in 2023.

From Friday, September 1–Saturday, September 30, a trip west should be on your agenda, with Carnival of Flowers set to bloom for its 74th year. As always, its 2023 program will take over a variety of Toowoomba locations — including Laurel Bank Park and the Botanic Gardens of Queens Park — to showcase all of the gorgeous florets, growths and gardens around town.

The big attraction: more than 190,000 blossoming bulbs. No, this huge (and free) carnival won't be short on natural splendour. Attendees can also expect everything from park tours to food festivals — amid the kaleidoscopic arrays of tulips, petunias and poppies, of course.

Food trucks slinging bites to eat, a food trail showcasing local eateries and a ferris wheel with a blooming great view are also always on the bill, as are a series of talks in local pubs, a dog-friendly program so that your pooch can get in on the action, both guided and non-guided walking tours, pinot and painting sessions, a big food and wine festival, a cinema under the stars and a floral parade — and, yes, an illuminated night garden.

The 2023 program will confirm its details on Thursday, April 27 but, basically, there's no bad time to visit — and you might want to make the trek more than once. Indeed, when it comes to scenic spring sights, there's no prettier place to be. And, given it takes less than two hours to head up the mountain from Brisbane, it's perfect for a weekend day trip. Make a playlist, take a picnic and there's your Saturday or Sunday sorted.

Top image: Tourism and Events Queensland.