Save the Date: The Scenic Rim's Stunning Sunflower Festival Will Return with a Sea of Gold in Autumn 2024
Every sunflower sold during next year's festival will also raise $1.50 for cancer research and care at the Mater.
Spring might be in full swing across southeast Queensland, but a patch of the Scenic Rim is already thinking about autumn — and about beaming with gold. When summer ends, orange, red, brown and yellowing leaves usually take over, other than at Kalbar Sunflowers. Sat just over an hour outside of Brisbane, the farm couldn't be more vibrant when its blooms are blossoming, so much so that it puts on the Kalbar Sunflower Festival to celebrate.
In 2024, the much-loved and obviously stunning-to-look-at event will return for three days from Friday, April 19–Sunday, April 21. Tickets aren't on sale as yet, but you'll want to nab one ASAP when they drop in February or March — this fest is unsurprisingly popular and sells out, with more than 12,000 people attending annually.
If you're lucky enough to score entry, expect to spot sunflowers as far as the eye can see at the Jenner family farm. In its early years, more than 200,000 of the vibrant blooms reached up to the sky, which is a hefty number. In 2023, over a million sunflowers were planted across 24 acres — and the same number will bloom in 2024. All those golden petals also help the fest play host to a highlight to get lost in, literally: a four-acre sunflower maze.
Next year's Kalbar Sunflower Festival won't just be gorgeous to look at and frolic through. It'll also support a supremely worthy cause. To pay tribute to her husband Russell, who battled oesophageal cancer for 18 months and passed away in July, the event's organiser Jenny Jenner is aiming to raise $100,000 for cancer research and care at the Mater.
With picking sunflowers a huge part of the event, every sunflower sold during the festival will also see $1.50 go to the hospital and its Cancer Care Centres in South Brisbane and Springfield.
While the fest's 2024 program hasn't been released as yet, it will include yoga sessions among the sunflowers, and also see sound-healing meditation classes among the blooms make their debut. Photo sessions will be back, of course, taking Kalbar's sea of gold to social media feeds. As always as well, the farm makes one helluva picnic spot.
In past years, the event has included painting classes — yes, so attendees could channel their inner Vincent van Gogh and paint sunflowers — plus helicopter rides over the field, sunflower crafting, cooking demonstrations and classes, photography classes, a sunset soirée, champagne lunches and food trucks.
The Kalbar Sunflower Festival came about after Russell and Jenny changed direction during Queensland's ongoing drought conditions. Previously, they farmed lucerne but, with water levels low, they opted to switch to a crop that doesn't require as much H2O. And, with all those sunflowers then looking rather striking, the couple was keen to let everyone else enjoy their golden petals.
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The Kalbar Sunflower Festival 2024 will take place from Friday, April 19–Sunday, April 21 at Kalbar in Queensland's Scenic Rim. For further information, and to keep an eye out for tickets when they go on sale in February or March, head to the event's website.
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