Gordon Ramsay alongside the giant gnome and its creators the Filmer family. Photos: Region Media.
The ACT Government will be bringing the sights, the sounds and the taste of Floriade to five town centres across the ACT this spring as Canberra’s famous flower festival grows beyond the flowerbeds of Commonwealth Park.
Floriade in the Suburbs will be popping up in Gungahlin, Belconnen, Tuggeranong, Molonglo Valley and Woden, creating a community focal point to bring Floriade’s vibrancy to the town centres on selected weekends.
Floriade will bloom in Gungahlin Town Square on 14 September, Lake Ginninderra on 21 September, Tuggeranong Town Park on 28 September, the Molonglo Valley Markets on 29 September and lastly Woden Town Square on 5 October.
Floriade will simultaneously be running in Commonwealth Park from 14 September till 13 October with popular events NightFest (3-6 October) and Dogs’ Day Out (13 October) back by popular demand.
Minister for Arts and Cultural Events Gordon Ramsay said the expansion of Floriade beyond the gates of Commonwealth Park will build on the liveliness and colour Floriade brings to Canberra during spring.
“Local residents are encouraged to bring along their picnic blanket and enjoy an afternoon of food and drinks with live music and family entertainment as they experience a little taste of Floriade in their local area,” Mr Ramsay said.
“We are extremely lucky in Canberra to have a jam-packed yearly event schedule and we want to continue to ensure that our local events promote positive community and social outcomes for the whole of the ACT.”
Mr Ramsay hopes the new initiative will see more Canberrans taking part in the annual event.
“This wonderful event comes even closer to Canberrans, which means that more people can take part in it and more people can enjoy the colours and the character of Floriade,” he said. “The numbers of people going to Floriade have increased really well.
“Floriade in the Suburbs will be a really great addition to the festival this year” – Mr Ramsay.
“Last year, 480,000 people were at Floriade, which is 45,000 more than the previous year. It is a wonderful way for people to come together, but we want to make it even easier for people.
“I don’t think this will be something people do instead of going to Floriade but I think it is something that they will do as well.
“There is certainly no scaling back of Floriade. There is a budget of $4.2million for Floriade this year and Floriade in the Suburbs is just another $50,000 as part of the budget.”
Mr Ramsay assures that there is no scaling back on Floriade.
To celebrate the arrival of Floriade in the Suburbs, local artists Geoff, Peter and Jenny Filmer spent 500 hours over seven weeks designing and creating Floriade’s first-ever, eight-foot pink gnome out of fibreglass.
The handcrafted gnome will attend each of the Floriade in the Suburbs pop up events as well as dropping in on Floriade on his days off from touring town centres.
Organisers are seeking community support in naming the ginormous gnome, with the winner taking home four tickets to Floriade NightFest.
Click here to make your submission for a name for Floriade’s friendly gnome.
Floriade in the Suburbs:
- Gungahlin Town Square, Gozzard Street – 12 pm to 3 pm on 14 September
- Lake Ginninderra, Beissel Street – 12 pm to 3 pm on 21 September
- Tuggeranong Town Park, Bartlett Place – 12 pm to 3 pm on 28 September
- Molonglo Valley Markets – 10 am to 3 pm on 29 September
- Woden Town Square – 12 pm to 3 pm on 5 October
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