The first Australian-themed floral display at Flower Dome is inspired by the Queensland city of Toowoomba’s Carnival of Flowers, the longest-running flower show in the country

Gardens by the Bay‘s first Australian-themed floral display Carnival of Flowers (澳洲花卉嘉年华) launched on 23 Sep 2024 with a mini “floral float” parade. Sixteen children from TOUCH Child Care (Clementi) marched alongside Gardens’ horticulturists and an Australian delegation that flew in specially from the city of Toowoomba in Queensland.

After all, the Carnival of Flowers floral display is presented in collaboration with the Toowoomba Regional Council and inspired by Australia’s longest running and most famous flower show – the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers – of which a float parade is an annual highlight. Following the launch, the floats made by the children in their art class, will be put on show in the floral display in Flower Dome, which will run until November 17.

Toowoomba is known in Australia as the Garden City, and in tribute to its reputation, over 8,000 plants from 30 varieties feature in Gardens by the Bay’s edition of Carnival of Flowers. These include exotic-looking native Australian species like the waratah and banksia, which are making their debut at Gardens by the Bay.

Exotic flora and spectacular floats

Many Australian plants have unusual forms due to their adaptations to endure harsh environmental conditions such as arid climates, poor soils, and wildlife threats. Some of the unique native blooms featured in Carnival of Flowers include grevillea, which has a spider-like structure with long, nectar-rich styles replacing traditional petals, and the bottlebrush-resembling pink mulla mulla, which has cone-shaped, cylindrical flower heads densely packed with tiny, soft flowers. Meanwhile, the waratah is often compared to a pincushion because of its dome-like head of tightly-packed tubular flowers.

Visitors can also look forward to 14 different varieties of kangaroo paws – the largest selection ever on show – in uncommon hues like blue-green and purple. This whimsical plant has woolly, tubular flowers that resemble a kangaroo’s curved fingers.

In a nod to the Toowoomba Carnival of Flower’s annual float parade, there will be spectacular floral floats crafted from preserved flowers in the floral display. These include a Ferris wheel more than 4m in height and a rotating carousel that breaks from tradition – the animals featured are those found on an Australian farm!

The floral display will also be adorned with almost 400 wooden ornaments of Australian flora and fauna, such as kangaroos, echidnas, platypuses and eucalyptus leaves – jointly painted by students from Singapore’s Canberra Primary School and Toowoomba’s Rangeville State School, in a virtual collaboration.

First Nations art and larger than life paper flowers

Australia’s First Nations culture will be conveyed through art specially created by Toowoomba and Bunya Mountains artists for the floral display. The 3m-tall Genestreaming Journey Sculpture is a gift to Gardens by the Bay. The sculpture is a giant evolutionary tree highlighting deep time connections between species over millions of years. Shaped like a budding flower, it features First Nations art on the inside and naturalist art on the outside.

It is a collaboration between artists Ben Beeton and Mali Moir, First Nations artists, engineers and Toowoomba artists. These sculptures are a nationwide initiative in Australia which celebrate First Nations culture, scientific discoveries, and conservation. This is the first time that a Genestreaming Journey Sculpture is being exhibited beyond Australian shores. It symbolises the friendship between Singapore and Australia.

The second piece of art are digital artworks by Australia First Nations Mununjali artist Kim Walmsley, featuring her interpretation of Songlines – a route through landscapes that is embedded with the geographical, mythological, and cultural information of First Nations people. Her artwork will be showcased on areas such as the totem poles in the yarning circle – a traditional gathering place used by First Nations people to share their experiences and build relationships – recreated in the floral display.

The floral display also features larger-than-life sculptures of native Australian blooms crafted from paper and other materials by Singaporean paper artist Pei Li (also known as PeiPer). This is her first exploration of Australia’s unique flora, including the Golden Wattle, the country’s national flower known for its fluffy, brushlike appearance. Each flower of the Golden Wattle has approximately 1,680 stamens, and Pei Li meticulously sculpted each stamen from a mix of thread, clay and wire, then colour-sprayed them individually, before fixing them to the core.

Carnival of Flowers

📅 23 Sep to 17 Nov 2024
⏰ 9am – 9pm
📍 Flower Dome (Admission charges apply)

You can get tickets online via Klook.

Singapore residents enjoy complimentary entry to Impressions of Monet: The Experience from Mondays to Thursdays with a Flower Dome ticket purchase.

Visit here for more details.

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For other upcoming events, visit Events in Singapore.

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