Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers

Blooming Fantastic!

Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers celebrates record 2017 and readies to represent Queensland at National Tourism Awards

Blooming fantastic! That's the reaction of the record 255,639 people who attended the internationally acclaimed Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers in 2017, and the response organisers are hoping for again this year!

With the dates for 2018 firmly etched in calendars across the country as Friday 21 to Sunday 30 September, organisers are well into finalising program highlights for the 10-day celebration, one which attracts visitors from all over Australia as well as internationally.

Attendance across the 10-day event skyrocketed in 2017 with overall figures up by 29 per cent with 255,639 attendees recorded.

"The opening weekend of the event set the scene early, with record breaking crowds on Saturday and Sunday and hundreds of thousands enjoying the brilliant spring sunshine, the Grand Central Floral Parade and the almost 200,000 blooms covering the city's parks and gardens," said Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Paul Antonio.

In addition, the event cemented itself as a truly national icon, again winning the Gold Award for Major Festivals and Events at the 2017 Australian Tourism Awards held in Darwin last February. This was followed with another major gong –the Gold Award for the third year in a row for Major Festivals and Events at the 2017 Queensland Tourism Awards making the Carnival a Hall of Fame recipient for the Major Festivals and Events category.  This win at the Queensland Tourism Awards nominates the event to represent Queensland at the national awards for the second year in a row, to be held at the end of next month in Perth.

Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said the latest figures reinforced the carnival's status as a leading Queensland event.

"The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers is Australia's longest-running horticultural event and the great turnout in 2017 is evidence of its growing popularity," she said.

"The Carnival is an integral part of Toowoomba's identity and provides a unique experience that has become popular with visitors the world over."

Ms Jones said Tourism and Events Queensland's It's Live! in Queensland calendar was expected to generate $780 million this year.

"Tourism is a $25 billion industry in Queensland and major events like the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers play a major role in driving visitors to our regions," she said. "I'm proud to be part of a government that recognises this and continues to invest in major events to ensure our tourism industry remains a cornerstone of Queensland's economy. This event inspires travellers to see our unique Southern Queensland Country destination and enjoy the spring lifestyle – I expect this year's event will be another record-breaking year."

Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers: September 21 to 30, 2018. 

For all information www.tcof.com.au