Carnival beats Games for major award win
Toowoomba’s premier event cements place in history books
VYING with the Gold Coast’s Commonwealth Games for a gold medal at the Queensland Tourism Awards on Friday night was never going to be an easy task for the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers.
Yet the iconic annual Toowoomba event trumped the glitzy Gold Coast’s effort, seemingly beating out the games with its authenticity, storytelling aspects and fullblown community passion.
As Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers was announced as the winner of the Major Festival and Events category for 2018, both Cr Geoff McDonald and Carnival of Flowers event coordinator Kate Scott leapt out of their chairs in excitement.
Cr McDonald said he felt a wave of relief sweep over him, relief that all the hard work and effort from the carnival team, the council’s parks and gardens team, the 2000 volunteers and the corporate sponsors who help the 10-day festival come together was recognised.
“For us to come out on top, it’s another accolade and reflection of the community buyin the carnival has had for 69 years, and a great promotion for us heading into the 70th year,” Cr McDonald said.
Now with four wins in a row at the Queensland Tourism Awards under its belt, and a shot at being the first Queensland entrant into the Australian Tourism Hall of Fame in a decade, Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers has stamped its name in history as an iconic Queensland event.
Since humble beginnings in 1949, the Carnival of Flowers has flourished.
State government figures showed the 2018 event added an estimated $14 million to Toowoomba’s economy.
The Qantas Australian Tourism Awards will be held in Tasmania on March 1, 2019.