Peter Sutton, working closely with his colleague, landscape designer Chris De Bruine, developed a proposal for a grand floral display to celebrate the Bicentenary. Following extensive trials in 1987 to select suitable species and determine flowering times.

Floriade began in 1988 as a spectacular commemoration of Australia's Bicentenary and Canberra's 75th birthday. Floriade blossomed for the first time with a stunning floral display of exotic bulbs and annuals, which grow beautifully in Canberra's climate. The community embraced the inaugural Floriade, making it such a success that it became an annual event - Australia's celebration of spring. Since its beginnings in 1988 Floriade has been held in the city, in Canberra's Commonwealth Park.

Floriade is Australia's premier spring festival and a world-class floral spectacular. More than one million blooms create a stunning backdrop to a month-long festival filled with music, cultural celebrations, horticultural workshops, artistic displays, entertainment and recreational activities. Floriade runs from mid-September to mid-October and attracts more than 400,000 attendees.
Past Themes

Click on an image to open a full-screen display. You can then rediscover past themes of Floriade since 1988 with the navigation on the lower right.