FAQs

Saturday 16 September to Sunday 15 October 2023.

Floriade gates will open from 9:30am till 5:30pm.

• Sensory Hour – 9:30am till 10:30am

• Stage programming – 10:30am till 5:00pm

Floriade takes place in Commonwealth Park located at Commonwealth Avenue, Canberra.

Floriade is free to enter and does not require registration. There are some paid events included in the Floriade program. Look out for ‘Book Tickets’ specified on the applicable event pages and linked to Ticketek or other ticketing websites for purchase. We recommend you refer to the Floriade website to stay up to date on the latest details regarding this year’s festival.

The 2023 theme is Floral Wonderland and visitors are encouraged to be inquisitive as they see and experience Floriade from a different perspective, escaping for a moment into their own wonderland as they explore the magical charm of over one million blooms.

You can find the program for each day on the Floriade Information page. You can also use the search function on the Floriade and NightFest program pages to select a day, or use the advanced functions to select a range of dates.

Floriade is offering gardening tours, guiding you through the festival garden beds. From designing the flower bed displays to what types of flowers we use, our gardening team will share interesting tidbits and insider information on what it takes to produce the largest flower show in the Southern Hemisphere! Tickets are $15 and tour sizes are limited so make sure you book early to avoid disappointment.

Floriade will be returning in 2024 and 2025. Mark your calendar with the following dates and start planning your visit to Australia’s biggest celebration of spring.

• 14 September to 13 October 2024*
• 13 September to 12 October 2025*

*Please note dates are subject to change. Ensure you check back closer to the event to confirm.

Keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram pages, and subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of the most up to date information.

Due to the ongoing works relating to the extension of light rail services and other capital works underway in the city, we have unfortunately lost access to some of the carparks in the vicinity of Commonwealth Park that are normally used by visitors to Floriade.

The team are looking at options to make getting to Floriade as easy as possible, and we will post information on alternative transport and parking options on here soon.

In the interest of health and public safety, no dogs or any animals (other than guide dogs and companion animals) are permitted to enter Floriade.

All other dogs will be permitted at Floriade on Sunday 15 October 2023 only for Dogs’ Day Out. Conditions apply.

This year there will be a range of food and drink vendors on site offering a wide variety of food and plenty of seating. You do not need to make a booking.

Yes, we will have a dedicated room for baby/infant care which will include the below:

• Change tables
• Low sofa style seating and stools for breast/bottle feeding
• Microwaves to heat/sterilise equipment
• Accessible toilets located nearby

Please note that this room is equipped with blinds, but is not lockable. All accessible toilets within Floriade also include a baby change table.

A map showing the location of the baby/infant care room and accessible toilets can be found here.

All lost property handed in will be registered and remain at the Information Marquee within the CRVC shop during the day. Please present to the Information Marquee to see if your lost property has been handed in or to register your name and contact details along with details of your lost item for the team to contact you if handed in. Until 17 November 2023 you can enquire about lost property by emailing events@act.gov.au. Any items not claimed by 17 November 2023 will be donated to charity or disposed of.

Thursday 28 September to Sunday 1 October 2023.

Nightfest gates will open from 6:30pm till 10:30pm.

Tickets for NightFest are available from Ticketek – the only authorised ticket reseller for the event. Tickets purchased from any other online provider are not legitimate and will not be accepted.

We encourage purchasing online early to avoid disappointment of missing out, ticket sales for each evening will be available online up until 9pm each evening of NightFest. However, tickets will be available to purchase onsite from 4:30pm – 9pm each evening as well.

NightFest tickets give you access to the park and all the entertainment on the night you have purchased your ticket for.

The Spiegeltent will host 2 sessions of 18+ variety show ‘Popcorn Underground’ each evening of NightFest. Tickets for the Spiegeltent are purchased via Ticketek as an add on to your NightFest entry ticket. After you purchase your NightFest tickets and click ‘Go to Checkout’, you will see an ‘Add to Order’ page where you can choose your Popcorn Underground session.

Send us an email at events@act.gov.au and we will provide you with a direct link to purchase the add on. Remember, you must have both a NightFest entry ticket and a Popcorn Underground ticket to go to the show.

Yes, Companion Cards are accepted for NightFest and selected ticketed daytime experiences. Customers can now book Companion Card tickets online from the Ticketek website, as well as via phone and agencies. Look for the blue ‘Get Accessible Seating Tickets’ button on the Ticketek NightFest event page.

Yes, you can! However, we do ask that patrons respect others around them by placing chairs to the back or sides of grassed viewing areas so they do not obstruct the view of others who may be sitting on picnic blankets at ground level. Please also be aware that the NightFest program offers multiple performances and entertainment on stages around the park, rather than a central stage.

Visit the NightFest page for more information on tickets and the program.

Floriade is Australia’s Biggest Celebration of Spring and is committed to reducing barriers and delivering an event that is accessible and inclusive.

We would like your visit to Floriade to be an enjoyable experience. Floriade is accessible to wheelchairs, mobility scooters and strollers, and will offer the following services:

• Accessible parking
• Front gate drop off zone for mobility impaired or aged visitors
• Accessible toilets
• Mobility Marquee – hiring out walking frames, wheelchairs and mobility scooters for use on site
• Sensory Hour

Floriade invites nursing homes, retirement villages and community disability groups who have their own mini-bus to book an accessible bus tour for their residents/members. Availability is limited and conditions apply.

To book an accessible visit, groups need to have their own minibus to transport their residents/members around the park. For safety reasons the maximum mini-bus size permitted is a 25-seater bus. The visit will take approximately 15 minutes and booking timeslots will allow up to 25 minutes.

There will be limited timeslots available and conditions may apply.

You are more than welcome to ride your bike to Floriade, but in the interest of public safety, all forms of bicycles and tricycles, including hand-propelled tricycles, are not permitted within the grounds of Floriade. This excludes mobility scooters, which are permitted in the Floriade site. Bicycle racks are provided close to each Floriade entry gate. Make sure you bring your own lock and chain. Provision can be made for tricycles to be stored at any of the entry gates, however Floriade takes no responsibility for theft or damage and space is limited. Please go to the “Getting to Floriade” page to see all the information about transport including buses, shuttle buses and parking locations.

In the interest of public safety, skateboards, scooters and rollerblades/skates are not permitted within the gates of Floriade. This excludes mobility scooters, which are permitted in the Floriade site. Bike racks will be available at each of the Floriade gates, but you will need to provide your own lock and chain.

Pickup & Set Down
There will be restricted drop off/pickup spaces outside the Floriade main Gate on Regatta Place in front of the Canberra Visitors Centre, to enable coaches to drop off and pick up. Vehicles will be required to turn off Barrine Drive onto Regatta Place.

Signage will be positioned to guide vehicles and designate the drop off/pick up area. A Traffic Controller will also be positioned at the intersection of Regatta Point and the designated thoroughfare parking bay to communicate the process to vehicles.

Set-down and pick-up is permitted at Regatta Point however coach and bus parking in this location is prohibited.

Bus/Coach Parking
After dropping off passengers, buses and coaches are being encouraged to seek parking at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in bays 11 and 12.

The entrance to the coach parking is on Braybrooke Street which can be accessed either via Battye Street or Ginninderra Drive.

The AIS has a café onsite, as well as public restroom facilities, which is located within the visitors’ centre.

Alternatively, you can try the below coach bays which have limited first come-first served parking.

• Mall Road West, behind Questacon | 7-8 spaces
• Lennox Crossing, National Museum of Australia| 3-4 spaces
• Akuna Street, adjacent to Glebe Park | 3-4 spaces
• Alinga Street, behind the Novotel | 3 spaces
• Museum of Australian Democracy, King George Terrace | 5-6 spaces

During the event, the Regatta Point bus and coach parking area will not be available for the use.

Due to construction works, no coach and bus parking is available at Acton Park carpark, West Basin.

Yes there will be photography workshops. Tickets are required and will be on sale from Friday 18 August.

In the interest of public safety, skateboards, scooters and rollerblades/skates are not permitted within the gates of Floriade. This excludes mobility scooters, which are permitted in the Floriade site. Bike racks will be available at each of the Floriade gates, but you will need to provide your own lock and chain.

Floriade Community was introduced in 2021 following the success of Floriade: Reimagined in 2020, which saw more than 90 community groups plant bulbs and annuals to help create a tulip trail through Canberra’s suburbs. This year 300,000 bulbs and annuals were made available to 94 schools, community groups and organisations as part of Floriade Community to spread the joy and colour of Floriade throughout Canberra in 2023.

Find out more on the Floriade Community page.

Yes, visit the Floriade Community page and follow the link to the Tulip Trail map to see the locations of the Floriade Community plantings.

If you are interested in becoming a Floriade volunteer, please sign up to the mailing list via our volunteers page, and we will contact you when applications open.

Applications for food vendor and marketstall holders for 2023 are now closed.

You can register for our mailing list for the most up to date information regarding future opportunities.

If you are a professional performing artist or group and would like to be considered for the 2023 program, please email your details through to us at entertainment@act.gov.au.

Applications for school and community group performances are currently open until Friday 30 June 2023. Visit our performers page for more information.