Carnival countdown begins
THE countdown is on to the 2018 Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, with the first bulbs of the carnival planted in a ceremony in Queens Park yesterday.
As well as serving as an official launch, the morning doubled as the announcement of the musical line-up for the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers Heritage Bank Festival of Food and Wine.
Running from Friday, September 21 to Sunday, September 23, the Festival of Food and Wine will see Ali Barter, Cloud Control and Aussie rock legends The Living End light up the opening night of the muchloved festival.
Saturday night’s entertainment will be provided by the Dusty Springfield Show, Chocolate Starfish and The Church.
Then on Sunday, Kyle Lionheart, Augie March, Swing on This featuring Rob Mills and Ben Mingay, and The Choirboys will star on stage.
The three-day annual food and wine festival, part of the award-winning Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers event, will be one of the highlights of the carnival.
More than 176,000 seedlings and bulbs will be planted over the coming months, ultimately blooming to create the worldfamous colour that is the Carnival of Flowers.
Cr Geoff McDonald, gerbera pinned to his lapel, officiated the first planting ceremony, which saw Toowoomba region’s horticulturalists, gardeners, dignitaries and fans gather in Queen’s Park yesterday.
The ceremony marks the beginning of an intense period of work for the council’s gardeners as they curate the city’s stunning parks and public spaces, readying them for the more than a quarter of a million visitors who will descend upon the Garden City between September 21 and September 30.