Mayor’s Message - Friday 8 March 2024

The 72nd Ballarat Begonia Festival launches this weekend, with festivities kicking off at 10am on Saturday, 9 March 2024.  

There will be three full days of fun, with something for everyone to enjoy, with the festival concluding on Monday at 5pm.

With live music, performances, food and drinks, markets, celebrity guests, family activities, workshops, a parade and so much more.

But don’t forget the star of the show, Ballarat’s famous begonias! There will be an all-new stunning begonia display in the Robert Clark Conservatory, complete with more than 500 beautiful begonias, along with many more garden displays throughout the festival site.

Don’t miss the debut of the never-before-seen begonia named after the Ballarat Botanical Gardens’ inaugural curator George Longley. The flower and its remarkable colour is being cultivated under secrecy, so you’ll have to come along to see the new begonia in all its glory for yourself.  

SWAY, the enchanting aerial performers are back again this year, with a brand-new show, these things, choreographed specifically for the Begonia Festival and debuting on Saturday. They will run shows across all three days in the main garden area.  

Whether you want garden tips, sustainability insights or cooking demonstrations, the Main Stage has it all. Come along to see Jerry Coleby Williams, from ABC’s Gardening Australia. Or check out Paul West, from River Cottage fame and Courtney Roulston known for her two seasons on Masterchef Australia.  

Known each year to bring thousands of people to the gardens, it is important to plan how to get to the festival.  

This year’s event has a large range of transport options to get you and the family to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens for the three-day festival.    

From free shuttle buses to and from the Ballarat Train Station, free carparks, a walk from Wendouree train station – there are plenty of ways to get to this year’s festival.

Check out www.ballaratbegoniafestival.com for the full program, map and details on the festival.

- Mayor Cr Des Hudson