Grafton Jacaranda Festival

Overview

The oldest floral festival in Australia, the Grafton Jacaranda Festival focuses on the hundreds of lilac-blossomed trees that line the town's streets. First held in 1935, the festival brings together art exhibitions, live music, markets and parades for a week-long celebration from October 28 through November 5.

While the jacaranda blooms are of course the main attraction, it's by no means the only event you'll have to look forward to during the festival — think a 30-team dragon boat race and a Venetian-style circus and carnival, along with buskers, fireworks and stallholders aplenty.

Grafton takes their tree heritage seriously and currently holds the title for biggest jacaranda on the National Tree Register of Big Trees (yes, it is a real registry). While in town, visit 'The Gorge', a tree which measures at a massive 30 metres high with a six-metre circumference. It deserves a nice big hug, we reckon.