Toowoomba's Carnival of Flowers Has Locked in Its 2023 Dates After a Record-Breaking 2022 Festival
If you were among the 364,775 people who enjoyed a floral fix last year, rejoice — and start making blooming great plans for the carnival's 74th event in September.
When flowers as far as the eye can see are involved, it's never too early to start making spring plans, even when 2023 has barely begun. The event to pop in your calendar ASAP: the annual Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, which will return for the entire month of September — and for its whopping 74th year.
This excuse for Brisbanites to head west to frolic among the blooms didn't always run for 30 whole days, but it's been brightening up the Darling Downs city for as long as it can since 2021. And, when it did exactly that in 2022, too, it broke its attendance record, with 364,775 people making a visit.
"For the second year, Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers was celebrated over all 30 days of September, headlined by 190,000 spectacular blooms, flourishing under the hands of an army of Council gardeners, with the result being more attendance and revenue figures broken as people from all over Australia converged on our Garden City," said Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Cr Paul Antonio.
"The continued expansion of this iconic event has generated extraordinary financial and social benefits for the community. Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers is a significant economic performer for the region and Queensland, and we look forward to our 2023 event, and then, in 2024, celebrating 75 years of flower power," Mayor Antonio continued.
The 2023 program won't be revealed until Thursday, April 27; however, garden lovers can look forward to blossoms and floral displays galore between Friday, September 1–Saturday, September 30. Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers takes over a variety of locations — including Laurel Bank Park and the Botanic Gardens of Queens Park — to showcase all of the gorgeous florets and growths and gardens around town, kaleidoscopic arrays of tulips, petunias and poppies included.
2022's fest also spanned everything from park tours to food trucks slinging bites to eat, plus an illuminated night garden, a ferris wheel, a series of talks in local pubs, both guided and non-guided walking tours, pinot and painting sessions, a floral parade, the three-day Festival of Food and Wine, and cinema under the stars. And, it boasted the #trEATS regional food trail, too, which showcases local eateries, and sees participating cafes, restaurants and bars serve up floral-inspired dishes.
Whatever ends up on the 2023 lineup, there's no bad time to head along throughout September — 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.
The 2023 Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers will run Friday, September 1–Saturday, September 30 across Toowoomba. For further information, head to the event's website.
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