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image taken in hop lane in front of the ballarat mural of a barber and a person infront of a mirror

Ballarat's autumn events 2025

Ballarat’s biggest annual event, the Ballarat Begonia Festival, will spring to life again this weekend. From stunning garden displays to captivating celebrity guests, brilliant family entertainment to the best local food and drink, interactive competitions to live music, and of course the PowerFM Begonia Festival Parade – the 73rd Ballarat Begonia Festival promises to be as big and bustling as ever. When: 8-10 March.Where: Ballarat Botanical...

Wadawurrung artist Jenna Oldaker standing with the Begonia letter B with the design she created

Learning through letters

Note: The original article was written prior to the senseless vandalism of the Begonia letters in Sturt Street, which caused irreparable damage. The City of Ballarat condemns vandalism – it is not only a waste of ratepayers’ money but also impacts on the presentation of the city leading into our biggest tourism event of the year – the Ballarat Begonia Festival. This article has been updated to reflect the current circumstances.Every year in late ...

Begonia festival crowd and way finding sign

Garden events, tours and attractions

The gardens is host to public events for all to enjoy.

Ballarat Botanical Gardens Wendouree Parade Entrance

About the Gardens

Established in 1858 it is one of Victoria’s oldest Botanical Gardens. The gardens are home to an extensive array of flowering plants, exotic trees, floral displays and an extensive collection of Italian marble statues throughout.

Begonia Festival

Ballarat Begonia Festival a Blooming Success

Ballarat’s signature festival, the Ballarat Begonia Festival, was celebrated citywide in March with new installations and weekend entertainment hailed a success by traders and visitors alike. Festival activity previously centralised at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, this year was relocated to the heart of our City in support of local business....

Natasha Morgan, Angeleen Jenkins, City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Des Hudson, Emily (SWAY), Matt Agterhuis, Cr Amy Johnson and Tim Bone.

Ballarat in full bloom for Begonia Festival

Preparations are in full swing for another bumper Ballarat Begonia Festival, with just one month left until the glorious return of the iconic event. Ballarat Begonia Festival, to be held on 11-13 March 2023, has released its full program with the free, outdoor event bringing Ballarat's Botanical Gardens to life with spectacular flower displays, celebrity presenters, roving entertainment, live music, and more. The 2023 event will...

Two women stand in front of a rotunda holding a plant between them. The top of the plant has a question mark over it.

Ballarat Begonia Festival to debut never-before-seen begonia

The City of Ballarat’s team behind the impressive begonia displays at the annual Ballarat Begonia Festival will debut a never-before-seen begonia flower at this years’ festival. The brand-new begonia cultivar, which was bred by the Gardens and Nursery team at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, is named after the Gardens’ inaugural curator George Longley. The highly anticipated colour of the Begonia George Longley will be unveiled at the ...

Ballarat Begonia Festival

A different Ballarat Begonia Festival set to Bloom

Ballarat will bloom this March as the City of Ballarat delivers a vastly different but immensely exciting Ballarat Begonia Festival.

Ballarat Begonia Festival will strive to be more environmentally-friendly than ever before this year.

Sustainability a major focus of Ballarat Begonia Festival

The City of Ballarat is striving to make the 2023 Ballarat Begonia Festival the most environmentally sustainable Begonia Festival yet. Building on the work of previous festivals, sustainability will be a major focus during the festival this year, with the City of Ballarat aiming to reduce the environmental footprint generated when hosting major events. Aligning closely with Goal 1 of the Council Plan 2021-2025: An environmentall...

Generic image of aerial peformers SWAY at Begonia Festival

Huge crowds for the iconic Ballarat Begonia Festival

The Labour Day long weekend, headlined by the 71st Ballarat Begonia Festival saw an attendance of more than 65,000 across three sunny Autumn days. The Monday was the busiest day of the event, with 23,000 attending to enjoy the final day of the festival and see the colour and excitement of the Power FM Begonia Parade. There was a healthy line up at the Robert Clark Conservatory to see the magnificent begonias all weekend, w...