What not to miss this week at Floriade
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The flowers are blooming, the school holidays are here and there’s plenty happening beyond simply wandering through the tulips.
From getting creative with the kids and painting your own gnome to early-morning photography, garden tours, live entertainment and a very colourful cocktail high tea, there’s plenty to pack into a Floriade visit this week.
And if you fancy taking the festival beyond Commonwealth Park, Floriade About Town has plenty happening around Canberra, too.
Here’s what not to miss at Floriade this week.
Eat, drink and make a day of it
For something a little more extra, step into Underground Spirits Cocktail High Tea in The Gin Garden.
The Underground Gin Garden: Hypersaturation! Feast is going all-in on oversized botanicals, neon, disco balls and cocktails, with the Cocktail High Tea taking centre stage. Guests can settle in around an experience table for cocktails served in teapots alongside spring treats from L’épi Artisan Bakery.
Prefer your Floriade feast on the grass? Floriade Grazing Boxes from Groovy Grazing CBR are packed with premium cheeses, cured meats, seasonal fruit, crackers, antipasto, sweet treats and accompaniments. Don’t miss your final chance to pre-order a grazing box for collection on 2 October.
And if watching someone else do the cooking is more your style, Simon Bryant – known for his advocacy of sustainable food systems and his work on ABC’s The Cook and the Chef – will be at Floriade on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October for demonstrations and audience meet-and-greet sessions. He’ll be appearing at The Garden House by Bunnings Warehouse, with the event free to attend.
Get up close with the gardens
You’ve admired the garden beds. Now find out what goes into creating them. Floriade Garden Tours offer a 45-minute guided walk around the event site, with a knowledgeable guide sharing the thinking behind the designs, as well as insights into plant selection, planting and the ongoing care of the seasonal displays. Tours run at 10am on weekdays during Floriade and cover approximately 1km.
Or get creative with flowers of a different kind at the Majura Valley Farm x Spiral Botanicals Flower Workshop on Saturday 3 October. The 90-minute hands-on class will have participants creating a hand-tied bouquet using flowers, foliage and fruit picked fresh from Majura Valley Farm, with florist-in-residence Spiral Botanicals focusing on locally grown, seasonal flowers and sustainable, foam-free design.
See Floriade in a whole new light
Fancy getting to Floriade before the crowds arrive? Fusion Photography Workshops give photographers the chance to explore Commonwealth Park from 6.30am, making the most of the soft early-morning light across the spring blooms. Now in its 19th year, the workshop is led by award-winning local photographers Ben Kopilow and Geoff Comfort, with practical guidance on composition, lighting and taking a more creative approach to capturing the gardens. There are sessions on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September, with tickets $95 per person.
Keep the kids entertained
If you’re looking for something to keep small hands and minds busy among the blooms, there’s plenty happening at Floriade this week.
Flower Feast Paper Creations invites children to create their own flower-inspired paper crafts, exploring colour, texture and creativity before taking their creations home. The free workshop runs from 1 pm to 4 pm on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September.
There’s also the Kids Potting Up Workshops, where children can learn about planting seeds and seedlings – and take some plants home to grow in their own gardens. The free workshops run from 10am to 1pm on Fridays and Saturdays during Floriade.
And for something with a little more wow, Warehouse Circus Street Theatre is bringing world-class street theatre to Commonwealth Park every day. Look out for the Absolutely Unicycle Show, The Great Escape Magic Show, Sven from Sweden and Canberra’s own Wham Glam Circus Man. It’s free, there’s no ticket required, and show times change daily – so check the signs when you arrive to see what’s on.
Paint yourself a Floriade gnome
There’s a reason Gnome Knoll has become one of Floriade’s annual traditions.
Head to the Rotary Club of Murrumbidgee Canberra’s colourful corner and choose your character – from Basil and Sage to Truffle the pig and larger feature gnomes – then paint your creation on site.
Prices start at $10 for a roaming gnome, with painting supplies included, and there’s even a competition for those who want to get seriously creative. During the school holidays, Gnome Knoll will be open on weekdays as well as weekends from 10am to 3.30pm.
Take Floriade to town
Floriade isn’t staying in Commonwealth Park – the whole city is joining the festival as part of the Floriade About Town program.
Highball is celebrating Floriade with a special-edition menu featuring two new cocktails and a floral twist on a punch bowl. There’s also a Floriade cocktail masterclass on Wednesday 30 September from 6 pm to 9 pm.
Over at the National Dinosaur Museum, you can discover the surprising connection between dinosaurs and flowers through hands-on fossil talks and meet Florasaurus – the museum’s community-created floral Triceratops.
And on Saturday 3 October, The Little Burley Market is bringing spring to the lakeside, with handcrafted products, street eats, live music and free kids’ crafts from 9am to 2pm.
Meanwhile, Poppyfield Commons in Dickson is hosting a series of poppy-themed activities across the coming week – make-your-own-lantern workshops on Sunday 27 September, a school holiday workshop giving kids the chance to create their own colourful poppy lantern to take home on Wednesday 30 September, and on Sunday 4 October, Walking with Words will invite participants to experience Dickson through fresh eyes with a guided walk through words, names, observations and quick sketches.
Want even more? Visit floriadeaustralia.com to explore the program.
Program details are subject to change. Check the Floriade website before visiting for the latest information and booking requirements.
