The flowers have the power!

12 February 2025

Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers smashes 2023 attendance figures, with four blooming beautiful weekends, bursting with local pride.

The numbers are in and once again, the flowers have the power! Australia’s most beautiful event, Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, has released results for 2024, and records have soared to new heights! The total number of attendees increased by 12% to 470,608, with 149,538 overnight stays generated.

Overall, the event generated $29.43 million in direct and incremental spending in Queensland.

“With just over 300,000 visits to our floral feature parks, more than 70,000 people in attendance at the Grand Central Floral Parade, and over 2000 people at our very special Symphony Under The Stars event, the continued expansion of our beloved Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers has generated extraordinary financial and social benefits for our community.” Mayor Geoff McDonald said.

Other success highlights from 2024 include:

• The Botanic Gardens in Queens Park welcomed 204,608 visitors
• Laurel Bank Park welcomed 99,978 visitors
• 17,451 tickets were snapped up over the three days of Festival of Food and Wine,
• 70,000+ people lined the streets to watch the Grand Central Floral Parade, which boasted 86 participant groups on Saturday 21st September. The 2024 theme was “It’s A Party” to commemorate our 75^th celebrations. This year we had a special visit from Queensland Governor, Her Excellency the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young, who opened official proceedings, with crowds gathering to grab the best seats in the house well before the Parade kick-off time of 10am.
• This year’s regional food trail #treats (Toowoomba Region EATS) featured a record number of floral-inspired dishes – 65 in total – from cafes, restaurants and bars all priced between $10 and $20. 
• The People First Bank Parkland Entertainment program showcased ALL local artists and performers over four weekends
• Thrive on Arts Festival welcomed 2000 people to their four day event, delighting the young and young at heart
• Sideshow Alley – was hugely popular again this year with crowds over 20,000 in attendance.