16 September 2011

Floriade kicks off

| johnboy
Join the conversation
30
andrew barr and miss universe

Andrew Barr has announced the launch of Floriade and isn’t he looking grand there with Miss Universe Australia 2009 Rachael Finch?

Now in its 24th year, Australia’s premier spring festival Floriade is an event that delivers significant economic and cultural benefits to the Canberra community. That’s why the ACT Labor Government is proud to invest in it.

Floriade 2010 was the biggest we have seen – attracting more than 471,000 attendees and contributing around $27 million to the ACT economy.

With the theme A feast for the senses, Floriade 2011 will indulge the senses with exciting new experiences and the return of popular ones. Some of the highlights of this year’s program include:

• From the Pantry marquee – with demonstrations by local producers and food and wine experts;
• Carnival in the Park – which will see Commonwealth Park transformed into a fiesta;
• Victory Garden display – where staff from the Australian War Memorial will share the history of wartime kitchens and gardens;
• Lindeman’s Open Garden – the place to watch cooking demonstrations and sample wines at the cellar door; and
• Garnier World – where all your beauty needs are taken care of, with complimentary pamper sessions and free gifts day and night.

Floriade NightFest, will also have some new offerings in its fourth year with the stunning new light installation – Storm of the Senses. There will also be an extensive array of food, wines and markets.

There’s something for everyone at Floriade and I encourage Canberrans to check out what’s on offer and invite their friends and family from interstate.

Join the conversation

30
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

Take a trip up to the Southern Highlands and look at the beautifully done displays in Bowral and Moss Vale.

True they have people with more experience and flair, but surely we can do better than mostly massed mounds of earth sprinkled with too widely spaced bulbs (to make them go further) in poorly thought out patterns that can only be seen from a cherry picker, as if the designs were actually good, and all surrounded with building site rent-a-fence.

wildturkeycanoe10:22 pm 11 Sep 15

Floriade. Been there, done that, 3 times now. Nothing changed each time, just the same stuff every year except there are definitely less flowers and more street stalls.

Evilomlap said :

rubaiyat said :

EvanJames said :

I don’t go any more. I loathe what they’ve done to it. Such a shame.

Agree. But it does show off Canberra’s institutionalised mediocrity to its best advantage.

Okay. Not flaming you I’m actually serious (remember I like you!) but is there anything about Canberra you actually do like? If not, why do you live here? There’s lots of other cities in Australia…just sayin’.

Well that response brings to mind the “Joy through Mediocrity” that struck me when I first came here.

The original Floriade, when it wasn’t being run by the artless ACT Public Servants, was an exception.

“Nice place. Don’t like what you are doing to it.”

rubaiyat said :

EvanJames said :

I don’t go any more. I loathe what they’ve done to it. Such a shame.

Agree. But it does show off Canberra’s institutionalised mediocrity to its best advantage.

Okay. Not flaming you I’m actually serious (remember I like you!) but is there anything about Canberra you actually do like? If not, why do you live here? There’s lots of other cities in Australia…just sayin’.

EvanJames said :

I don’t go any more. I loathe what they’ve done to it. Such a shame.

Agree. But it does show off Canberra’s institutionalised mediocrity to its best advantage.

going to floriade on this weekend.
hope it turns out to be fun 😀

milkman said :

Let’s see if we can figure out a way to get the ferris wheel to drop a burnout, and then we can combine Floriade with Summernats. Florinats – you know it makes sense.

Wet-tulip competitions?

YetAnotherBlowIn said :

EvanJames said :

And a bloody ferris wheel. Fair go.

From my experience last year, the ferris wheel would be the only way you could get a decent look at the designs that had been planted into the majority of the beds. According to the plaque it was a unicorn and an elephant riding on clouds, but all I could make out was blobs of colour.

Let’s see if we can figure out a way to get the ferris wheel to drop a burnout, and then we can combine Floriade with Summernats. Florinats – you know it makes sense.

Very disappointed in Floriade this year. It almost seems like an opportunity to sell tent-space to people selling rubbish Made In China, with a few flower beds to justify giving it a name. Less flowers, and less variety, and actual streets of people selling tat. Maybe the flowers got in the way of their gypsy market.

A lot of the tulips have viruses, too (the short ones all disorted and weird-looking).

Waiting For Godot said :

poetix said :

Keijidosha said :

Personally I’d like to see Floriade host an easy-listening music festival on Stage 88 over one of the weekends.

‘Easy-listening music festival’. Also known as hell by the lake.

The last time they played easy listening music (jazz actually) on Stage 88 was at the final Food and Wine Frolic in 1994 and a riot broke out. No more alcoholic frolics were ever held. I don’t think tourism authorities would like to see Floriade go the same way.

94′ brings back great (if somewhat hazy) memories..I recall that a member of Enormous Horns tried to help out a punter who was being savaged and copped an arse-kicking he would never forget. No more Alco frolics (in that format) occurred after that.

Keijidosha said :

Hell by the lake? Perhaps! 🙂 Although people who find easy listening music that painful are unlikely to be attending Floriade.

So what’s “easy listening”? The Carpenters? Rick Astley? Frank Sinatra?

It’d certainly keep me away, and I’m nearly 60.

You can normally get some damn good chilie sauces and hot pickles there, apart from that, it’s sh!te.

Jordo said :

I think we’re real lucky to have it, but are there less flowers now or more things drawing attention from them or both?

Both. Definitely less flowers. And more hawkers.

I think we’re real lucky to have it, but are there less flowers now or more things drawing attention from them or both?

Waiting For Godot said :

The last time they played easy listening music (jazz actually) on Stage 88 was at the final Food and Wine Frolic in 1994 and a riot broke out.

Those Jazz lovers are a temperamental bunch

Keijidosha said :

EvanJames said :

What a flapping zoo it’s become. I do miss the early days, when it was flowers and the odd paddle-pop seller. What’s all this Garnier this and Lindeman’s that? And a bloody ferris wheel. Fair go.

WIth the departure of the Food and Wine Frolic it seems that much of that fare has been sandwiched between the flower beds. This makes for a more vibrant festival atmosphere, but is also causing a progressive reduction to the number of bulbs being planted each year. Not so great for flower enthusiasts, but creates room for more entertainment for everyone else.

Personally I’d like to see Floriade host an easy-listening music festival on Stage 88 over one of the weekends. It would have to be better than the failure that was “Enlighten”.

Your plan is to drive away as many people as possible?

I don’t go any more. I loathe what they’ve done to it. Such a shame.

I am not particularly interested in flowers (not at all actually) but I thought it was better when it was mainly flowers. Now they have 4 flower beds and the rest is stalls selling things, it seems.

Still, it’s free. So we go a couple of times after school when there’s hardly anyone else there. 2 hours is plenty to see the flowers (takes about 10 minutes now), do a couple of rides and buy some $10 junk and a drink and icecream.

Waiting For Godot4:54 pm 16 Sep 11

poetix said :

Keijidosha said :

Personally I’d like to see Floriade host an easy-listening music festival on Stage 88 over one of the weekends.

‘Easy-listening music festival’. Also known as hell by the lake.

The last time they played easy listening music (jazz actually) on Stage 88 was at the final Food and Wine Frolic in 1994 and a riot broke out. No more alcoholic frolics were ever held. I don’t think tourism authorities would like to see Floriade go the same way.

Hell by the lake? Perhaps! 🙂 Although people who find easy listening music that painful are unlikely to be attending Floriade. I don’t think your average Floriade punter would appreciate Skrillex or Airbourne pummelling their ears at 1.21 jiggawatts.

YetAnotherBlowIn4:30 pm 16 Sep 11

EvanJames said :

And a bloody ferris wheel. Fair go.

From my experience last year, the ferris wheel would be the only way you could get a decent look at the designs that had been planted into the majority of the beds. According to the plaque it was a unicorn and an elephant riding on clouds, but all I could make out was blobs of colour.

Keijidosha said :

Personally I’d like to see Floriade host an easy-listening music festival on Stage 88 over one of the weekends.

‘Easy-listening music festival’. Also known as hell by the lake.

EvanJames said :

What a flapping zoo it’s become. I do miss the early days, when it was flowers and the odd paddle-pop seller. What’s all this Garnier this and Lindeman’s that? And a bloody ferris wheel. Fair go.

WIth the departure of the Food and Wine Frolic it seems that much of that fare has been sandwiched between the flower beds. This makes for a more vibrant festival atmosphere, but is also causing a progressive reduction to the number of bulbs being planted each year. Not so great for flower enthusiasts, but creates room for more entertainment for everyone else.

Personally I’d like to see Floriade host an easy-listening music festival on Stage 88 over one of the weekends. It would have to be better than the failure that was “Enlighten”.

What a flapping zoo it’s become. I do miss the early days, when it was flowers and the odd paddle-pop seller. What’s all this Garnier this and Lindeman’s that? And a bloody ferris wheel. Fair go.

Bluey said :

Thats one flower I wouldnt mind picking.
.

The one on the left or the right?

Bluey said :

Thats one flower I wouldnt mind picking.

giggity.

Well done, that even sounds how i would imagine him saying it.

I was a little tempted to reply to the second post something about me wanting to notice her…

…on me

Thats one flower I wouldnt mind picking.

giggity.

took me a minute to spot her, she’s camouflaged!

troll-sniffer2:18 pm 16 Sep 11

Ben_Dover said :

For those of you wondering, Ms Finch is the one in red.

With your login ID I’m surprised you noticed the non-suited one!

For those of you wondering, Ms Finch is the one in red.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.