22 October 2006

Why Floriade is arse

| johnboy
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Once upon a time there was a flower festival, in spring people could go to Commonwealth Park, see some beds of tulips, and go home feeling somewhat enriched for a few hours spent smelling the flowers. As time went on commercial activity moved in selling things to all the people. And now it’s a second show with milling hordes and more square metres of marquis space filled with fudge and soap sellers than flower beds.

If anything it’s a camera show as world+dog trots out their latest digital toy and blocks the heaving pathways trying to get their special shot.

With a large number of the remaining flower beds sponsored by third parties, particularly embassies, there doesn’t seem to be any unifying theme at all. The “Carnival” theme this year basically lets them slap any old crap wherever they want it. Here the Spanish Embassy’s contribution has an incongruous wooden galleon plonked into the middle of the flower bed with it’s sails luffed, symbolically going backwards if you will.

Possibly of greatest interest amongst the maddening throng is a very active beehive buzzing away in the roots of one the trees in front of Stage 88, let’s hope no-one with allergies upsets the bees.

Bah humbug. More flowers and less crap please.

[Photos by Kerces who wanted a credit]

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Heavs…who was the lucky guy???

Miz, they are certainly bees in that photo. Bees are a pale yellow on account of all that fuzz, European wasps are much longer for the width and a very very striking yellow.

Had a nest in my roof last season. Freaky little bastards.

went. wasn’t massively impressed. some ok potos though.

i love it too!

I love it. It’s the one good, free thing left in Canberra. I pack stuff for us to eat and drink, spend nothing on the assorted crapola ‘cos I can’t afford it, and will boycott it again if they bring back the entry fee.

Pics are lovely Kerces. (Aren’t the insects in the photo European Wasps? they look a bit big and yellow for bees, and they are nesting in the ground . . .?).

I had sex in the bushes when they had floriade at night a few years back. That was the only good part of the whole trip.

mmm…photo credit JB?

The buskers made it worthwhile. If not for the thronging crowds they attract. As long as they don’t go on and on in between tricks. And they don’t do their thing too close to the footpath. Plus the guilt trips, enough with the performer poverty syndrome, the market chooses you or not.

….. so yeah, I guess the buskers made it worse.

Craptacular indeed.

Went there once. Saw flowers and sculptures. Paid through the nose for drinks and ice creams. Don’t think I’ll bother again.

bit over the world + dog and their respective cameras this weekend jb?

I was dragged along to Floriarse by the missus this year (I refused to go when it cost to get in), and we didn’t buy anything, looked at the flowers then went home. It was an ok excuse to take the son out for a play in the sunshine, but it didn’t really float my boat.

scrap floriade and bring back the gmc 400.

scrap floriade and spend the money on schools.

scrap floriade and build an inner suburban dragway.

just scrap floriade.

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