Fun fact — Ballarat is home to one of the rarest and most significant begonia collections in the Southern Hemisphere.
And every year over the Labour Day long weekend, these beautiful blooms take centre stage at the Ballarat Begonia Festival.
Ahead of the 2026 event, the Ballarat Botanical Gardens team has meticulously cultivated over 500 begonia varieties, including heirloom and hybrid species grown exclusively for the festival.
“It takes close to 10 months of dedicated work to nurture and shape these plants into their prime — and seeing them fill the Robert Clark Conservatory each March is a proud moment for the entire team,” Ballarat Botanical Gardens curator Donna Thomas said.
A free event, the 2026 Ballarat Begonia Festival will transform the Ballarat Botanical Gardens into a hive of colour, culture and community this Saturday 7 March until Sunday 9 March from 10am–5pm daily.
More festival highlights include:
- The Plants by Playable Streets — a large-scale installation which invites visitors to make music with living plants in a collaboration between art, science and sound
- Garden of Giggles — beloved performers Polyglot Theatre return with Bees, an immersive, buzzing world of movement and sound; alongside the award-winning ABC Kids band The Vegetable Plot, plus roving entertainment from Trash Puppets and Roaming Trees by Gaia Rhythm
- Circular Gardens — a new collection of micro-garden displays designed by local creators and small businesses celebrating the beauty of reuse, innovation and low-maintenance gardening
- the 2026 Ballarat Begonia Festival Parade on Monday 9 March from 11am–12pm
A stellar line-up of guest presenters on The Begonia Stage will include:
- Horticulturalist, author and Gardening Australia presenter Sophie Thomson
- Gourmet Farmer host Matthew Evans
- Mabu Mabu founder and chef Nornie Bero
- Gardening Australia presenter and landscaper Clarence Slockee
- Permaculture educators and musicians Formidable Vegetable
For the full program, head to ballaratbegoniafestival.com
