Celebrate spring with the City of Greater Bendigo’s exciting Bloom program featuring the highly anticipated tulip displays, family fun activities, immersive outdoor experiences and entertainment.
Bendigo is celebrating its 21st year of stunning tulip displays in Rosalind Park and Pall Mall with a sea of colour from 43,000 tulips as the centrepiece for the program. The tulips have an assortment of colours and sizes, with different blooming times between around September 14 to October 6.
Throughout September, October and November 2024, residents and visitors can enjoy more than 80 amazing experiences across the region from cultural events and festivals to appreciating the great outdoors in our parks and in the bush.
Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said spring was a wonderful season in Greater Bendigo.
“Bendigo’s tulips are a must-see for residents and visitors of all ages,” Cr Metcalf said.
“It’s a joy to see residents and visitors appreciating the dedicated work carried out by the City’s Parks and Open Space team.
“The Bloom spring campaign just gets bigger and better each year.
“All of these activations are important to draw people to the region during the day and in the evenings and you are encouraged to support the region’s local businesses where you can. Many Bendigo Tourism members, including wineries, restaurants, retailers, and cafes, have special spring experiences as part of the Bloom campaign which are listed on our Explore website.
“Bloom encourages visitors to book with our local accommodation providers and extend their stay so they can see enjoy the full Bloom experience, go to a festival, visit a winery, take in a show, dine, and shop.”
As well as the impressive tulip displays, the Village of Gnomes at Eaglehawk’s beautiful Canterbury Gardens encourages families to explore the heritage gardens whilst searching for 12 new residents, the Spring Bloom Gnomes from September 14 onwards.
Rosalind Park’s historic Conservatory will come to life with Sonic Bloom, a transformative sound experience developed by Artistic Producer Aimee Chapman and commissioned by the City with support from Emporium Creative Hub. This is an opportunity to reconnect with Bendigo’s extraordinary parks and gardens through immersive soundscapes, audio stories inside the Conservatory. Ms Chapman will be joined by an eclectic roster of talented musicians and performers for live performances this Sunday September 8, Sunday October 6 and Sunday November 3.
Bloom after Dark will run during the school holidays where families can experience the illuminated tulip displays, stunning creative projections and giant flowers to amuse and enthral in an after dark trail along Pall Mall.
Spring in the Bush is an exciting new addition to Bloom run by the City’s Climate Change and Environment team. The program has a wonderful array of free workshops, walks and talks to celebrate the region’s natural landscapes of the Box-Ironbark country. Highlights include Meet the Mammals at No.7 Park (nocturnal walk), Wildflowers, Wattles and Wildlife Walk, Bat Buddies, Nature by Night and Frogs of Bendigo.
Other must-see highlights of the 2024 Bendigo Bloom program include:
The Harvest Moon Festival at Dai Gum San precinct from 4pm to 7pm on Friday September 27 (Grand Final Public Holiday).
Bloomin’ Good Market on September 29 and October 27 pop-up market celebrates Bendigo’s City and Region on Gastronomy reputation with local producers showcasing a variety of goods.
The annual Vegecareian Festival on October 5, 2024 at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion is a family-fun event with cooking demonstrations, wellness activities and animal blessings. Special guests this year include ABC’s Gardening Australia TV presenter Costa Georgiadis.
Heathcote Wine and Food Festival on October 5 and 6 showcases the region’s wines, sample new releases and learn more about wines that have recently achieved success in international and national awards.
Bendigo Wine Week is from October 11 to October 20 is an action-packed week filled with wine, food and fun across dinners, lunches, new release launches, tastings and finishing with the Heritage and Hidden Spaces Wine Walk, which includes 10 heritage spaces and unusual spaces to explore in the heart of Bendigo’s city centre.
Zinda Festival on October 12 at Garden for the Future celebrates cultural diversity with music, food and performances.
Bendigo Comedy Festival from October 15 to October 20 will present 25 shows with top comedians headlining including Dave Hughes, Damien Callinan, Bron Lewis, Luke Heggie, Nath Valvo and Kirsty Webeck.
Bendigo Agriculture Show from October 25 to 26 brings favourite activities, livestock displays, animal nursery, LEGO display, a two-day horse, Monster Trucks, circus, rides and fireworks.
Bendigo Open Studios from October 11 to 13 provides a unique opportunity to meet local talented artists working in a range of mediums including ceramicists, painters, printmakers, textile artists, photographers, digital artists, sculptors and many more.
Malamiya Mang Creative Arts Festival from November 1 to 3, presented by DJAARA, is the first of its kind in Australia that feature a diverse array of First Nations themed events, including a Djandak Wii (fire) arts exhibition, a colourful fashion show, and a vibrant market showcasing the work of Djaara artists, including handcrafted jewellery, artwork and unique cultural artefacts, among other activities.
Bendigo Art Gallery’s Rob McHaffie: We are Family is on until January 27. This major Bendigo Art Gallery exhibition surveys the recent work of central Victorian artist Rob McHaffie. This ambitious exhibition brings together recent and new painting, collage, works on paper, and ceramic sculpture in a vibrant showcase of McHaffie’s buoyant and broad-ranging creative vision.