STEP INSIDE A LIVING GARDEN WONDERLAND AT BALLARAT BEGONIA FESTIVAL

Ballarar Begonia Festival

The full program for the Ballarat Begonia Festival has been revealed with the iconic Ballarat Botanical Gardens set to transform into a vibrant, interactive garden wonderland from Saturday 7 to Monday 9 March (Labour Day long weekend).

From thousands of rare begonias to musical plants you can play, celebrity gardening presenters, sustainable garden displays, kids’ performances, roving tree creatures and hands-on workshops, the three-day free festival is shaping up to be Ballarat’s most colourful weekend of the year.

THE BEGONIAS – A ‘SYMPHONY OF BEGONIAS’

At the heart of the Festival is the spectacular begonia display inside the Robert Clark Conservatory, open daily from 10am – 5pm during the Festival.

Titled ‘A Symphony of Begonias’ , the 2026 display has been designed like a living artwork — rich in colour, height and movement.

Visitors will step into a space filled with towering pyramids of colour, walls of cascading greenery and butterfly-shaped floral installations, all created using 600 rare and heritage begonia varieties grown by the Ballarat Botanical Gardens Nursery team over the past ten months.

This living tapestry is one of the most significant begonia collections in the southern hemisphere and the visual centrepiece that draws gardening enthusiasts, flower lovers and visitors from across Victoria and Australia each year.

MAKE MUSIC WITH PLANTS

Making its Ballarat debut is The Plants by Playable Streets — a major interactive installation where visitors can touch real plants to create music. Using organic matter and bespoke digital sensors, these living instruments turn nature into sound.

THE BEGONIA STAGE – AUSTRALIA’S FAVOURITE GARDEN MINDS

Hosted by horticultural presenter Chloe Thomson, the Begonia Stage will welcome some of Australia’s most recognisable voices in gardening, food and sustainability including:

• Sophie Thomson (ABC Gardening Australia)
• Clarence Slockee (Gardening Australia / Sydney Botanic Gardens)
• Matthew Evans (Gourmet Farmer)
• Nornie Bero (Mabu Mabu)
• Formidable Vegetable (permaculture educators and musicians)

Across the weekend, talks, demonstrations and workshops will cover sustainable gardening, bush foods, permaculture and growing food at home.

GARDEN OF GIGGLES – A GIANT GARDEN PLAYGROUND FOR KIDS

Families can step into the Garden of Giggles, headlined by:

• Polyglot Theatre’s Bees — an immersive performance where children become part of a buzzing bee world.
• The Vegetable Plot — the ARIA-nominated ABC Kids band loved by parents and kids alike
• Roving entertainment from Trim & Propper and Trash Puppets

HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS

Visitors can book into intimate workshops across the weekend, including:

• Musical Plants workshop with Playable Streets
• Permaculture crash course with Formidable Vegetable
• Gardening workshop with Sophie Thomson

To book a workshop, visit ballaratbegoniafestival.com/program/workshops.

CIRCULAR GARDENS AND COMMUNITY FLORAL BEDS

Ballarat Begonia Festival

Scattered throughout the gardens, visitors will discover a series of small, clever garden displays created by local designers and businesses as part of the returning Circular Gardens feature — showcasing practical, low-maintenance ideas people can recreate at home using sustainable design principles.

Nearby, seven colourful community garden beds, planted by local schools, individuals and community groups, adding a layer of creativity and community spirit to the landscape.

ART TRAILS, GARDEN BARS AND A CITY IN COLOUR

The much-loved Snail Trail returns with visitors encouraged to wander the gardens in search of brightly painted snail sculptures created by local Primary school students.

Throughout the site, the Begonia Bar, market stalls and food trucks will create a relaxed festival atmosphere perfect for settling in and soaking up the surroundings.

“The Begonia Festival is when Ballarat truly comes to life — bringing together our horticultural expertise, creative community and love of nature in one spectacular weekend,” said City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves.

“From the rare begonias to musical plants and family performances, this is an experience that’s immersive, joyful and brilliantly unexpected — just like Ballarat itself,” she said.

FAST FACTS

When: Saturday 7 – Monday 9 March 2026 (Labour Day long weekend)
Time: 10am – 5pm daily
Where: Ballarat Botanical Gardens, Ballarat
Price: Free entry, with food, drink, wares and experiences available to purchase and book
More info: ballaratbegoniafestival.com

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