Floriade, Canberra - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Floriade is a flower and entertainment festival

Festival

A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....

held annually in Canberra

Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...

's Commonwealth Park featuring extensive displays of flowering bulbs with integrated sculptures and other artistic features. Floriade comes from the Latin word floriat, which means to design with flowers.

The festival attracts tourists from around Australia and overseas in spring from mid September to mid October each year, and is considered the most important regular event for tourism in the Australian Capital Territory

Australian Capital Territory

The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...

. It is also called "Australia's Celebration of Spring". After some controversy regarding an entry charge, admission to Floriade has been free for a number of years.

History

Floriade started in 1988 as a one off celebration of Canberra's 75th birthday and Australia's bicentenary of European settlement. Due to the success and popularity of the event, it has run every year since then with each year having a new theme and is currently the largest flower festival in the Southern hemisphere

Southern Hemisphere

The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...

with over 300,000 visitors each year.

In September 2005 ACT tourism authorities considered legal action over a trademark violation with Hunter Valley

Hunter Valley

The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...

Gardens in New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200509/s1458009.htm who had renamed their annual floral festival to Floriade Hunter Valley Gardens. The term Floriade was replaced with Festival of Flowers in 2006.

Location

Floriade is located in Commonwealth Park, Canberra.

Dates:

2008: 13 September - 12 October
2009: 12 September - 11 October
2010: 11 September - 10 October
2011: 17 September - 16 October

Public art and Culture

Floriade gives great expression to public art, each year commissioning works which are placed in the Floriade gardens. Some remain beyond the festival. Floriade also showcases musical displays with many live performances, cultural celebrations, artistic displays, entertainment and recreational activities. http://www.floriadeaustralia.com/CA2570B20014D388/page/About+Floriade?OpenDocument&1=010-About+Floriade~&2=~&3=~

Floriade has also held a gnome

Gnome

A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...

decorating competition and display for several years, with strong participation from schools, aged people's homes, and businesses. The 2005 theme of Rock 'n Roll only accentuated the regular theme of decorating gnomes as the members of bands. Examples shown below are the Australian children's entertainers, The Wiggles

The Wiggles

The Wiggles are a children's group formed in Sydney, Australia in 1991. Their original members were Anthony Field, Phillip Wilcher, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt. Wilcher left the group after their first album...

, in this case renamed The Gniggles, and the crowd favorite, KISS

KISS (band)

Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...

submitted by Weetangera Primary School

Weetangera, Australian Capital Territory

Weetangera is a suburb in the Canberra, Australia district of Belconnen.It is next to the suburbs of Hawker, Page and Macquarie. The Canberra Nature Park of The Pinnacle Nature Reserve borders it to the south across Springvale Drive. It has a primary school, Weetangera primary, and Weetangera...

Floriade themes

1988 Floriade (no theme)
1989 Floriade (no theme)
1990 Floral garlands, champagne bubbles and floral river
1991 Music
1992 The art of horticulture
1993 Kites, colour and movement
1994 Reflections
1995 Carnival of cultures

1996 Floriade celebrates the arts
1997 Colour by day and night
1998 Gardens and gourmets
1999 Magic of the gardens
2000 Games in the garden
2001 The Century in bloom (Celebrating Centenary of Federation)
2002 Poetry in flowers
2003 The heavens in bloom

2004 The wonder of water
2005 Rock 'n' roll in bloom
2006 Carnivale - The World on Show
2007 Aussie icons, myths and legends
2008 Films that shaped the nation
2009 Mind, Body and Soul
2010 Imagination
2011 A feast for the senses

Floriade NightFest

It started in 2008, NightFest is a Floriade’s after-dark extravaganza. It includes live music, comedy and acrobatics performances, shopping, cocktails and movies.
http://www.andrewbarr.com.au/story/floriade-2008-worth-25m-act

External links

Official Floriade page