My Thoughts on Floriade 2025
It's that time of year
where the sun shines, the puffer jackets begin to disappear, and the antihistamines are flying off the shelves as Canberra enters the Fake Spring → Spring season of September.
And with that comes the annual and well-attended Floriade.
For those who aren't in Canberra, new to Canberra, or contemplating visiting Canberra for this event, here are some quick statistics from my lovely AI Assistant about the event (And yes, I've verified them independently, chill.)
Here are five shorter points on the history of Canberra's Floriade:
Started in 1988: It began as a one-off event to celebrate Canberra's 75th birthday and the Bicentenary but became annual due to its popularity.
Dutch Inspiration: The festival was conceived by Dutch-born landscape architect Christiaan Slotemaker de Bruine, inspired by the Keukenhof gardens.
Million-Bloom Display: Each year, over one million bulbs and annuals are planted in themed garden beds in Commonwealth Park.
The Great Big Bulb Dig: The festival traditionally ends with the "Great Big Bulb Dig," allowing the public to take home plants from the displays. (FREE STUFF!!!)
A few days ago, I was blessed and honoured to be picked as one of the people to attend the media preview, which I certainly don't take for granted, and I note this review isn't skewed because of it. But I am thankful to attend because you get somewhat of an insight into the work that truly goes into pulling these events off year in, year out.
From the preview opening, they stated that last year saw over 400,000 visitors bringing in over 63 million dollars into the economy, which is certainly a lot of dosh, which is great for locals, and they anticipate 500,000 this year (and it already has had record-breaking attendance for the opening weekend.)
I think one thing few people know is that there's a mirrored event of Floriade held at the Lanyon Homestead
which offers its own unique talks and events, which is great. It's a lovely little spot in the south if you've not been.
My overall review isn't going to be super grand or detailed because that's not who I am, and I could just get AI to write up something of that nature.
But let's cut straight to the point – what are my honest thoughts on Floriade 2025?
It's free, and it's felt a lot more open
I'm now entering my dad era, and anything that is free is a big win for me and the family, so I have zero complaints about that.
There were plenty of flower displays and a lot of great QR codes for information, as well as the interactive maps, which were good – they let you plan out what you want to see and do when you arrive and find out what you want to eat, etc.
The walkways are spacious, giving you enough room to stop and take some photos, which is massive (especially for those of us with prams/twin prams and kids), and as little as that sounds, it's big.
It's bold and bright
The theme for the event is Science and Nature, so you will see some activities for the kids and talks that intertwine these themes together.
The garden displays are bold and bright and go among many scientific themes, which you'll find on the map, but also you can view them here - https://floriadeaustralia.com/garden-bed-designs/
I'm not much of a flowers guy, but, as a photographer, I did enjoy the leading lines that they made with planting a lot of these displays – makes for a challenging shot to get low during the bright sunlight, but they looked great, especially early morning.
WHERE'S THE CHIP ON A STICK?
I get a lot of messages saying that Floriade isn't about flowers anymore; it's a food display with flowers.
I can understand this sentiment, but I do think it's pretty well balanced overall – though, I am yet to spot the chip on a stick, which is truly the main attraction of any Canberra local event.
There's a great range of food, some local, some not, but you'll find something for your taste buds – just come with the expectation that it may be expensive.
You could do what we do and go full parent mode and bring a packed lunch. Cold ham, tomato, and cheese sandwich hits hard.
Local vendor opportunity missed
There are some incredible paintings and art on display this year. From woodworks to metalworks and incredible lifelike paintings.
There are also lots of things for sale like jams, food, arts and crafts, and token Canberra items, which are a must for any visitor.
But I might suggest one vendor that isn't on display and would seriously bring in some cash for a budding young entrepreneur, and that is... antihistamine medicine for those of us affected by hay fever.
It's brutal this year – I'd bet those tablets would fly off the counter if you sold them. (Note: I do not recommend you actually do this, but hey, I'm totally OK to be proven wrong)
Where do I park???
OK, I've gotten a lot of DMs about this, and sure, it's a minor annoyance that there's no parking at the location due to the Canberra Tram being built, but there's plenty of parking around the area – it just means a slight walk, which you'd probably be doing anyway because the car parks that are no longer available are quite the walk anyway.
I suggest parking near the CIT area because there's a tunnel that goes under Parkes Way and literally pops you out near one of the main entrances.
Parking is only $2.00 an hour (compared to somewhere like Sydney, this is literally a bargain).
Or, you could chuck a sneaky bus trip to the event, or park near Questacon and snap a few pictures with the displays on the other side and then catch a ferry across via the Love Boats - https://www.loveboats.com.au/floriade
Should I go?
Sure! It's something to do, and with some cracker spring days coming up, it makes for a nice outing no matter who you are, even if you're a local or travelling from NSW.
Overall, I think Floriade gets a knocking from locals because of its other ventures like the food and stalls, but if you just take it from the perspective of being free and something to do, I implore you to grab a picnic rug and lay it out near Stage 88 somewhere and just chill out, turn the phone off, and relax in the beautiful spring Canberra weather.
The world's super hectic at the moment, so it's nice to take some time to relax and smell the fresh air (or deep-fried air depending on how close you sit to a vendor).
Need a photographer? Want to chat about AI content creation?
We'd love to showcase your moments authentically through our services.