Bendigo set to burst into colour as popular festival springs into Bloom

Bendigo Tourism
Aug 30, 2024, updated Sep 03, 2024

Fresh from being crowned Victoria’s Top Tourism Town, Bendigo has unveiled the line-up for its hugely popular/successful Bloom festival, with several new events in the 2024 program.

The festival features more than 80 events and experiences showcasing nature, food, wine, First Nations heritage, art, comedy, music and entertainment across the Bendigo and Heathcote regions from early September through to late November.

From the spectacular annual floral display in its 21st year– a carpet of colour in Pall Mall and Conservatory Gardens courtesy of 43,000 multi-coloured tulip bulbs – to the Heathcote Wine and Food Festival, pottery-making at Bendigo Pottery and Bendigo Comedy Festival, Bloom has something to cater to all tastes and age groups.

More than 43,000 famed-tulips open to brighten the beautiful Bendigo heritage streets. Photo: City of Greater Bendigo

City of Greater Bendigo’s Tourism Marketing Manager Glenn Harvey says the festival includes plenty of free events, such as the after-dark trail (Bloom After Dark, September 20-October 6, 6.30-9.30pm) where visitors can enjoy the tulip beds illuminated, while this year will also see the Yi Yuan Chinese Gardens activated to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Dragon.

Harvey says one of the highlights of the 2024 festival is a new event, Sonic Bloom, described as a “transformative sound experience” featuring a mix of soundscapes, audio stories and live music in Rosalind Park’s historic Conservatory.

The artist behind the event, Aimee Chapman, describes Sonic Bloom as a “celebration of sound as a powerful medium to connect people to place and to each other”, with the voices and stories of Bendigo’s parks and gardens staff and volunteers forming part of the work.

“By weaving local audio stories with immersive soundscapes and live performances, we can offer the community a unique experience that allows them to explore and imagine their own place in the beautiful parts of Bendigo without the visual bombardment and prescribed thoughts that often accompanies art,” Chapman says.

At night, the tulips are illuminated during the Bloom After Dark event. Photo: City of Greater Bendigo

“One of the greatest joys of bringing Sonic Bloom to life has been capturing the experiences and stories of the parks and gardens workforce and volunteers. Their knowledge, passion and love for these spaces are truly inspiring and have deeply enriched this project.”

It also includes live performances by Victorian musicians, including Troy Firebrace, Aviva Endean and Nathan Curnow, on each Sunday of the project.

Sonic Bloom is just one of several new or enhanced events at the festival including:

Bloomin’ Good Market, a pop-up market in Pall Mall showcasing Bendigo’s rich food and beverage offering (Sept 29 and Oct 27)
Village of Gnomes, a family-friendly installation at the Canterbury Gardens which invites visitors to find gnomes among ornamental gardens and a walking trail (Sept 14-Oct 6)
Malamiya Mang Creative Arts Festival, an Australian first featuring First Nations-themed events, including a Djandak Wii (fire) theme arts exhibition, fashion show and vibrant market showcasing the work of Djaara artists (Oct 31-Nov 3)
The We Are Family exhibition at Bendigo Art Gallery featuring the paintings, collages, works on paper and ceramic sculptures of central Victorian artist Rob McHaffie (Aug 10-Jan 27)
Vegecarian Festival a perennial favourite held at the Brishti Ganesh Buddhist temple will this year feature special guests Costa from ABC’s Gardening Australia and 2017 Masterchef winner Diana Chan (Oct 5)
Spring in the Bush is a program put together by the City of Greater Bendigo’s Climate Change & Environment team featuring a wonderful array of workshops, walks and talks taking place in the Bendigo to celebrate the natural landscapes of the box-ironbark country (Sep 6 – Oct 3)