The Ballarat Begonia Festival will make a flourishing return this year over the Labour Day long weekend.

Ballarat’s most iconic event — the Ballarat Begonia Festival — will transform the Ballarat Botanical Gardens into a vibrant celebration of nature, creativity and community from Saturday 7 to Monday 9 March 2026 (Labour Day long weekend). Now in its seventh decade, the much-loved free event will once again bring together thousands of rare begonias, interactive art installations, family entertainment and sustainable garden design. At the centre of the Festival is the breathtaking Robert Clark Conservatory, home to Ballarat’s world renowned begonia collection — one of the rarest and most significant in the southern hemisphere. Making its Ballarat debut, The Plants by Playable Streets invites visitors to make music with living plants. This large-scale installation turns natural elements into touch-sensitive instruments — a collaboration between art, science and sound. Beloved family performers Polyglot Theatre return with Bees, an immersive, buzzing world of movement and sound, alongside the award-winning ABC Kids band The Vegetable Plot, and roving entertainment from Trash Puppets and Roaming Trees by Gaia Rhythm.

More info at Ballarat Begonia Festival