Reality check: it’s September already! Instead of fretting about how fast the year’s flown by, we’re celebrating the petals, pastel colours and pure joy of spring. Across the country, floral festivals are gearing up to bloom – from Canberra’s Floriade to Toowoomba’s Carnival of Flowers and Sydney’s recent Cherry Blossom Festival. But down south, Australia’s largest tulip field is prepping to host a massive, one-day flower fiesta – and chances are, you’ve never heard of it.
Set on the banks of the Inglis River in Tasmania – a two-hour drive from Launceston – Wynyard Tulip Festival offers a chance to frolic through hundreds of thousands of tulips this spring. Since its launch 33 years ago, this one-day celebration has blossomed into a major event, drawing more than 20,000 visitors in 2024.
Wynyard Tulip Festival takes place on the second Saturday of October each year, which in 2025, lands on October 11 from 11am to 9pm. This perfectly coincides with peak tulip season at Cape Range Tulip Farm, which is believed to be the largest tulip field in the Southern Hemisphere.
The tulip farm is at the heart of the festivities, with free shuttle buses running every 30 minutes from the festival hub in Gutteridge Gardens to Table Cape Tulip Farm. While the tulips are the star of the show, festivalgoers can also look forward to a packed program of local entertainment, delicious street food and a grand fireworks finale.
The best part? Wynyard Tulip Festival is free to attend! That includes laser tag, face painting, live music, roving entertainment, and interactive demos from special guests 2024 MasterChef runner-up Josh ‘Pezza’ Perry and ABC Gardening Australia host Hannah Moloney. To top it off, there'll be roughly 100 local market stalls and food trucks selling all types of creative and edible delights. The full Wynyard Tulip Festival program is yet to be released, but you can stay in the loop here.