EACH year more than 60,000 people wander the Ballarat Botanical Gardens over the Labour Day long weekend and discover a multitude of fun family activities, enjoyable live entertainment, delicious local food and beautiful floral displays.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all part of the Ballarat Begonia Festival.<\/p>\n
Presented by the City of Ballarat, this year\u2019s program has a number of exciting new offerings that look set to take your festival experience to new heights.<\/p>\n
The 2019 festival features a range of activities for the whole family, including the return of the popular Super Sandpit and obstacle course, markets and Begonia Bar.<\/p>\n
The line-up of entertainment, talks, culinary delights looks impressive, with celebrity guests including Get Grubby TV\u2019s dirtgirl, River Cottage Australia host Paul West and the return of crowd favourite Costa Georgiadis.<\/p>\n
But the beloved Begonia Festival would not be complete without the festival\u2019s namesake, the Begonia Display.<\/p>\n
Ballarat has a long history of begonias, which first appeared at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens in the late 1890s.<\/p>\n
Gardeners at the time imported tuberous begonias from England, however, today the City of Ballarat\u2019s dedicated gardeners now grow the popular plant by hand.<\/p>\n
Planned 12 months in advance, this year\u2019s Begonia Display features six hundred tuberous and non-tuberous Begonias from the City of Ballarat\u2019s famous Begonia collection.<\/p>\n
For the first time the display will also feature a tranquil water display landscaped with ferns from the City of Ballarat\u2019s nursery, and the Begonia Towers which feature more than two hundred Begonia boliviensis Bossa Nova.<\/p>\n
Continuing the begonia theme, the begonia-covered trams of yesteryear are set to make a comeback over the long weekend.<\/p>\n
The Ballarat Tramway Museum has taken inspiration from the 1939 floral tram, which was originally decorated by hundreds of crepe paper flowers, by creating 21st century flowers using single-use plastic bags and bottle.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not the only environmentallyfriendly event at this year\u2019s festival with Community Partner Central Highlands Water hosting a number of activities that look at the impacts of plastic waste on the environment.<\/p>\n
The Ballarat Begonia Festival will be held over the Labour Day long weekend, 9-11 March, at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens between 10am-5pm daily.<\/p>\n
The popular Power FM Begonia Parade takes place along Wendouree Parade from 11am on Monday, 11 March.<\/p>\n
For further details, visit ballaratbegoniafestival.com<\/strong> 2019 Begonia Festival highlights include:<\/p>\n \u2022 Power FM Begonia Parade (along Wendouree Parade) from 11am, Monday 11 March EACH year more than 60,000 people wander the Ballarat Botanical Gardens over the Labour Day long weekend and discover a multitude of fun family activities, enjoyable live entertainment, delicious local food and beautiful floral displays. It\u2019s all part of the Ballarat Begonia Festival. Presented by the City of Ballarat, this year\u2019s program has a number […]<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Begonia Display in the conservatory
\n\u2022 Hear from our special celebrity guests Paul West (River Cottage Australia), dirtgirl (Get Grubby TV) and Costa Georgiadis (Gardening Australia)
\n\u2022 Live entertainment across four music stages
\n\u2022 26 food and coffee outlets including the Forge Pizzeria in the Begonia Courtyard
\n\u2022 Quench your thirst in the Begonia Bar with local beers from Red Duck Brewery and Cubby Haus Brewing, wines from Wightwick and gin from Kilderkin Distillery
\n\u2022 Learn about environmental sustainability with Central Highlands Water
\n\u2022 Circus Drop Zone \u2013 an intergenerational entertainment space where visitors can learn to juggle or ride a unicycling, or alternatively view performances on a six-metre-high trapeze
\n\u2022 Floral Tram
\n\u2022 Obstacle Course with ninja trainers
\n\u2022 Super Sandpit
\n\u2022 Pot-A-Plant Activities with BotaniKids
\n\u2022 Paint with the Society of Artists and Funky Plaster Fun
\n\u2022 Story Time with the Ballarat Foundation every hour
\n\u2022 Stems Greenery photo wall
\n\u2022 Floral Carousel by the Floral Art Group
\n\u2022 Garden Trail Competition to win a $3,000 travel voucher from Flight Centre
\n\u2022 Gardener\u2019s and Creative Designer\u2019s Markets
\n\u2022 Friends of the Botanical Gardens Plant Sales Nursery
\n\u2022 Fish Hatchery Tours
\n\u2022 Spinners and Weavers demonstrations
\n\u2022 Ballarat Woodworkers Guild Exhibition<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"