Flower fest huge success

THOUSANDS of people have flocked to the Botanical Gardens for this year’s Begonia Festival and Parade.

Organisers and municipal leaders hailed the event as a success, with visitor numbers expected to match or exceed last year’s total of 60,000 over the three days.

“There’s so many great things that Ballarat does. We love our White Night, we love our National Cycling, we love our Begonia Festival,” said City of Ballarat Mayor Samantha McIntosh.

“It’s really important we try and put something out there for everyone and I think Begonia Festival really does encapsulate that well. We’ve got local produce, local performance, local people and we’ve got lots of visiting friends and relatives to come along and enjoy it with them.”

With about 60 vendors and many different community groups, an event of the size and scope of Begonia Festival doesn’t just happen.

Head organiser Claudia Lengfelder, an Events Officer with the City of Ballarat, said planning began pretty much as soon as the previous event ended, although the most rewarding part was seeing it all come together.

“This event is our biggest event in terms of what the council organises,” she said. “When we put something like this on, and it’s hard work and it’s long hours, but as soon as you’re actually at the event we all love it. It’ beautiful, it’s in the gardens, we show case our gardens and the work that the gardeners put in for a year to get them up to spec.”

Donald Harper travelled from South Australia to visit the Festival.

He was focused on taking pictures of the begonia flowers and it’s not the first time he’s visited the city for the event.

“I came here a few years ago and the festival has gotten bigger and it’s really good,” he said.

“I love to see these begonias because we really can’t grow them in Adelaide. I bought one, but it just died on me.”

With so much to see and do over the three days of the event, the biggest turn out was for the Power FM Begonia Parade.

When it came to best on show, the Mayor’s Choice Award went to Alfredton Primary School, Best Schools Entry was Urquhart Primary School, Victorian Goldfields Medieval Faire received Best Community Entry, Lana-Rose with the Ballarat Road Rodders picked up Best Business Entry and Best Musical Entry was won by BLOC Music Theatre.

Cr McIntosh, who was one of the judges, said a lot went into deciding which participants won.

“It’s involvement and fun and the people who put a lot of energy in,” she said.

“I also do like to know a little bit about what they have been doing. For instance, the Mayor Choice, Alfredton Primary School, they decorated their bikes with a great deal of care but it’s more than that. Last year they hosted this amazing festival, fully decked with fruit and veg, everything from the gardens and carved in the most artistic forms.”