The 75th Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers begins today – FLORAL FRIDAY – with the
Festival of Food and Wine (to September 15)
as the perfect starter for the most beautiful event in the country!
Today is the famous FLORAL FRIDAY – the first day of Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers (TCOF), Australia’s most beautiful event!
Festival of Food and Wine runs September 13 to 15 as the perfect starter, with pastries, posies and a pink mohawk to take over Queens Park as celebrity chef and dessert powerhouse Anna Polyviou brings sweet wow to Toowoomba (including one metre long pavlovas). Thirsty Merc, Pete Murray, Kate Ceberano, James Reyne as well as Yuggera-artist dameela and chart topping electro act Mashd N Kutcher join other leading and local sound-makers plus, there’s almost 40 pop-up cellar doors and food stalls! SEE WHAT YOU NEED TO NEED TO KNOW BELOW.
As if celebrating 75 years of petal power was not enough, TCOF features Petals and Pups – an official dog-friendly program, completely dedicated to hounds and their humans, and in salute to Toowoomba’s first canine Ambassadog, ‘Puppy’ the Pomeranian, who led the very first grand parade all those years ago! The pawsome program boasts more than 20 dog-friendly activities and 27 off-leash parks, as well as dog-friendly cafés, restaurants and accommodation recommendations. Even the much-loved Ferris Wheel in the Botanic Gardens, which gives the best blooming views over all the petals, will this year welcome well-behaved dogs on board!
#trEATs, the regional food trail program, begins with a record number of 65 floral-inspired dishes to savour, including six regional venues taking part! Introduced in 2020, #trEATS (standing for Toowoomba Region EATS) features signature springtime dishes from cafés, restaurants and bars inspired by Toowoomba’s most famous event, all priced between $10 and $20.
Other floral fun facts and figures…
- 75th anniversary of the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers
- 40 million petals across Council’s parks in the city
- 200,000 blooms
- 25 days of celebration
- The full Queensland Symphony Orchestra
- 1 x Chief Conductor (Maestro Umberto Clerici)
- 2 x 1m long pavlovas ready for tasting at the Festival of Flower Food and Wine
- 51st anniversary of the Exhibition Garden program
- 85 floats and groups in the Grand Central Floral Parade
- 20,000 people to attend the Festival of Food and Wine
- 17 musicians and bands appearing at the Festival of Food and Wine
- 38 flavour makers and winemakers at the Festival of Food and Wine
- 1,939 times the Ferris Wheel goes around over 10 days in Queens Park
- 65 #trEATS on the regional food trail program, a new record!
- 20 dog friendly accommodations in TOOWOOMBA (Petals and Pups)
- 50 community events
- 74 local performances in our People First Parkland Entertainment sessions
- 9 foodie tours and experiences
- 12 Twilight Tours of Laurel Bank
- 3 nights of fireworks
- Millions of smiles
FESTIVAL OF FOOD AND WINE:
Friday 13 September 4pm – 10pm; Saturday 14 September 11am – 10pm; Sunday 15 September 11am – 8pm
Buy tickets HERE
Farm to Fork demonstrations with mega-watt pastry chef Anna Polyviou
The punk-pastry powerhouse is the PERFECT FIT for the Festival of Food and Wine, with her distinctive hot pink mohawk, quirky urban street style, and vibrant personality. She leads the Farm to Fork demonstrations featuring Basque Cheesecake, Cheese & Charcuterie Baguettes, some mouth-watering Cookie Dough Pies and a ONE METRE Pavlova on Saturday and Sunday – 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm.
*There’s a Cookie Dough Pie Eating Competition at 1.30pm and the One Metre Marshmallow Pavlova will be created by Anna at 3.30pm on both days!
The Pit Yard and The Tasting Room – BBQ Delights with Phatboyz Smokehouse Kitchen
Join these local BBQ and smokehouse specialists for tastings and talks. Founder and Chef Luke Moonshine has appeared across Australia, New Zealand and in one of the homes of low and slow BBQ, Brazil. He was guest speaker at London’s Smoke & Fire Festival 2024 and has cooked alongside internationally renowned Celebrity Pitmasters and chefs like Tuffy Stone, Marcos Livi and Daniel Lee. His partner in BBQ is Blayke Saggus, Australia’s youngest and well-known Indigenous Pitmaster.
Saturday and Sunday – 12.30pm, 2.30pm and 4.30pm.
Wine Tastings – featuring local and regional varieties from Nuova Scola and Jester Hill.
Saturday and Sunday – 11.45am, 1.45pm, 3.45pm
Cheese Tastings – learn the techniques used by famed cheesemakers, Bunya Cheese.
Saturday and Sunday – 11.15am, 1.15pm and 3.15pm.
Learn how local artisan distillers Pechey Distillery and Hopscotch Distillery make their range of spirits.
Friday at 5.15pm; Saturday and Sunday 12.45pm, 2.45pm and 4.45pm.
Beer Appreciation
Learn about the brewing process, different beer styles and the booming craft beer industry in South East Queensland from leaders Bone Idol Brewery, Your Mates Brewing and Burleigh Brewing.
Friday at 4.45pm; Saturday and Sunday at 12.15pm, 2.15pm and 4.15pm.
Feature Floral Designs
Three stunning large scale floral designs feature at this year’s Festival, created by Toowoomba floral artists Andea Raup with Brisbane’s Sarah Serek, by local floral artist Cherie Zimmerle of The Flower Grocer and by Southerden florist Lyn Curcuruto.
Flower Crowns
An absolute must is the making and wearing of your own bloomin’ lovely Flower Crown at the Flower Factory. On Friday from 4pm to 6pm and Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm.
The Cubby House
This year the popular kids zone features hula hoop making (and dancing of course), music workshops, face painting, arts and craft activities and more. *Children must be supervised by parents at all times.
11am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday only.
Cellar Doors and Food Stalls
There’s over 15 pop up Cellar Doors to sample local wines and 25 food stalls!
The Botanical Society – THE place to be!
Enjoy the Festival in style and upgrade your day pass to the Botanical Society Day Pass. The pass includes access to an exclusive area within the Festival of Food and Wine Festival, featuring its own private bar with great cocktails from Hopscotch Distillery and Pechey Distillery (and private loos!), and an outdoor lawn area, your choice of a reusable wine tumbler or stubby cooler, plus premium main stage viewing!
THE MUSIC LINEUP
Friday from 4pm to 10pm
Friday night brings the beats to kick-start the Carnival party. Featuring Yuggera-artist dameela and chart topping Mashd N Kutcher, these live DJ sets are going to be spectacular in the parkland setting.
- merci, mercy
- dameeeela
- Mashd N Kutcher
Saturday from 11am to 10pm
- Bullhorn
- Thirsty Merc
- James Reyne
Sunday from 11am to 8pm
- Yacht Rock Revival
- Kate Ceberano
- Pete Murray
Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers 2024
13 September to 7 October – FULL PROGRAM AT tcof.com.au
Since its inception in 1949, the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers has flourished and is now an iconic Queensland event. The brainchild of Essex Tait and the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce, Carnival was introduced as a way for the city to use its “Garden City” reputation to promote increased economic activity following the hardships of war. On 21 October 1950, the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers commenced with a street procession that stretched three miles in length. Led by a bullock team and watched by a crowd estimated to be 50,000 strong, it was a resounding success, as it has been ever since.
Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers is not only the most beautiful event in the country, but also the toast of the nation after being crowned best major event at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards. The 75th anniversary program features more than 80 events over four petal-filled weekends from 13 September to 7 October.
