Welcome from Mayor Paul Antonio, Toowoomba Regional Council

Welcome to spring in Toowoomba! Nature has set the stage for another stunning backdrop to the city’s great spring extravaganza.

On behalf of the Toowoomba Regional Council, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you, residents and visitors alike, to our 68th Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers – Australia’s longest running horticultural event.

The city and region shakes off its frosty winter coat and blooms in a riot of colour and celebrations from Friday, September 15, to Sunday, September 24.

Make sure you set time aside to return to our festivities or invite friends and family to experience something new.

Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers continues to blossom and now has a golden glow along with the mantle of Australia’s best, after winning the Major Festivals and Events section at both the Australian and Queensland Tourism Awards.

This golden win is great recognition for Carnival, but organisers have been busily planning and working to ensure the focus is on presenting an even better and more memorable event this year.

Carnival’s core is the celebration of the region’s renowned natural beauty, the magnificent home and civic gardens and the artistic creativity of our residents.

This is a festival for all ages and tastes. It continues to keep the best time-honoured aspects and evolves with new features to keep a sense of wonder.

Carnival patrons will be spoilt for choice with an array of signature events such as the Grand Central Floral Parade, the Ergon Energy Food and Wine Show, including the Heritage Bank Live Concert Series and Sideshow Alley entertainment.

These events herald a cracker Carnival opening weekend. There are scores of free community-run events across the 10 days of Carnival.

Our stunning civic parks are the perfect place to while away a morning, enjoy a picnic or listen to the free music performances.

Toowoomba is a city steeped in tradition, yet bold with ambition. The Carnival of Flowers is a grand example of what makes Toowoomba special – 68 years of joy, celebration and hard work. Through floods and droughts, times of hardship and times of bounty, a special window each September has been a much-anticipated and welcome presence for our residents, and it is an event of which we are all immensely proud.

That pride is seen in the toil of our local gardeners, both in private homes and in our parks, who work tirelessly for the enjoyment of others and to give meaning to our coveted title as the Garden City. That pride is palpable in the hundreds of volunteers, who, year after year, work together to make each Carnival bigger and better than before.

Toowoomba is home to some wonderful business people who wear that pride on their sleeve by supporting this event. Thank you to our sponsors and major partners for your continued support and confidence in this event.

Finally, our residents, from across generations, continue to parade that pride by turning out in wonderful numbers to enjoy everything the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers has to offer. They spread the word to friends and relatives that Toowoomba is the place to be in springtime, and enthusiastically assume the role of ‘tour guide’ to those who visit.

So, whether you live in our fantastic region, or have visited us from beyond, a very warm and proud welcome to the 2017 Carnival of Flowers!