Hold onto your sunhats – Australia’s floral capital is set to out-bloom itself in 2025 with its biggest flower festival to date. In its mega 76th year, the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers is expected to welcome half a million visitors from around the globe to the Garden City. More than 80 events and activations will blossom across four weekends – from September 12 to October 6 – with the return of the iconic Grand Central Floral Parade, plus four exciting new signature events, including an elegant launch party on the lawns and foodie favourite, FEASTival.
While the Carnival of Flowers is still a few weeks away, the Toowoomba Council has already sown the seeds for more than 40 million petals set to splash colour across the city’s major parks like confetti. As always, this year’s major displays are in the Queens Park Botanic Gardens and Laurel Bank Park, but wandering pretty much anywhere will take you past a photogenic curation of petals.
At Queens Park, you can admire more than 50,000 annuals and 5,000 bulbs, from sweet peas and poppies to quirky surprises like parsley and ornamental kale. The botanic garden is also home to the famous ferris wheel, where you can get a bird’s-eye view of the entire 25-hectare paradise in full bloom. Just a two-kilometre stroll away, Laurel Bank Park will flourish with 70,000 flowers and 12,000 tulips, complete with themed garden beds that you can enjoy from an elevated platform. Both parks are open daily and free to explore at any time.
While the official carnival runs across four weekends – from Friday, September 12 to Monday, October 6 – the main shebang happens on Saturday, September 20. That’s when more than 30 floral floats will wind their way from Herries and Hume Streets, along Margaret Street and into Queens Park for the beloved Grand Central Floral Parade. With the 2025 festival theme set as ‘Floral Frenzy’, both parade entrants and spectators are encouraged to go all out with bold and vibrant floral designs.
Other festival favourites will also return in 2025, including the Paw Parade on September 21, Laurel Bank’s Twilight Tours, and #trEATS: a regional food trail of floral-inspired dishes. But for its biggest program yet, the Carnival is also introducing four brand-new events. The festival officially kicks off on September 13 with An Evening in Blooms: a lawn party featuring florally-inspired cocktails, seasonal canapés, interactive performances and botanical installations. FEASTival brings foodies together in Queens Park over the last September weekend, with live demos from celebrity chef Miguel Maestre, laid-back picnic vibes, pop-up kitchens and boutique bars. Then A Table For Every Taste will host 12 exclusive culinary events across the region over the October long weekend, ranging from lakeside yoga with breakfast to a Mediterranean-inspired three-course meal among the vineyards.
Toowoomba is just a scenic two-hour drive from Brisbane, making for the perfect weekend road trip. You can find out more about the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers here.