Advertisement

Weekend watch: Our guide to the two best days of the week

From great gigs under the sky to floral festivals, sand sculptures, exhibitions and tours, here are some of the best events happening around the state this weekend and beyond.

Sep 18, 2020, updated Sep 18, 2020
The blooms at Toowoomba's Queens Park will be a highlight of the Carnival of Flowers. (Photo: Supplied)

The blooms at Toowoomba's Queens Park will be a highlight of the Carnival of Flowers. (Photo: Supplied)

BLOOMING LARGE ON THE HORIZON IN THE GARDEN CITY

Today marks the official beginning of this year’s Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, with the Garden City ready to welcome visitors for the longest-running floral event of its kind in Australia.

Floral Friday marks the beginning of 10 days of COVID-Safe celebrations, and as part of the festivities, there are more than 170,000 blooms across Toowoomba’s parks and public spaces.

This year there is also a new region-wide food trail  – #trEATS, a dog-friendly Petals and Pups program, chalk art in Queens Park, the static Grand Central Floral Parade in Grand Central Shopping Centre, Rowes light shows at night, guided and non-guided walking tours, the Cobb + Co Museum and the much-loved floral group displays.

The program has been adjusted to ensure all experiences are COVID-19 safe, the city is ready to welcome Queenslanders to play in the petals and explore some of the hidden places and flavours of the region.

For more details, visit tcof.com.au

NO LONGER BIDING THEIR TIME

After an enforced six-month break, one of Australia’s hardest-working bands, Busby Marou, returned to the stage for last weekend’s Wonderland Under the Stars concerts in Port Douglas and they’re back on the road today, bringing the show to Townsville for two performances.

The folk-pop duo (Tom Busby and Jeremy Marou), who picked up the Queensland Music Award in the Blues and Roots category for ‘Nabu Norem (The Reef Song)’ in March, will perform at an open-air tropical amphitheatre event space in Strand Park tonight and tomorrow night as part of the Townsville leg of  Wonderland Under the Stars, with support from Cairns-based singer-songwriter Leanne Tenant.

There are still a handful of tickets left for both performances, which can be purchased here: wonderlandspiegeltent.com.au/

SPIRITED AWAY

Bundaberg Rum was forced to close the doors to its popular distillery tours in March, but the award-winning tourist attraction recently reopened its doors to visitors.

Prince Charles visited the site on his most recent trip to Australia in 2018 and for the past two years it has claimed Gold as Best Distillery at the Australian Tourism Awards.

“There are a lot of great distillery, brewery and winery experiences around Australia, so to be crowned Australia’s best for the last two years running is something we’re incredibly proud of and hopefully it gives people that reassurance that it definitely is worth the trip to come up into Bundaberg,” Bundaberg Rum Visitor Experience operations and brand manager Duncan Littler told InQueensland.

The tours ordinarily attract up to 60 people but Little said capacity was currently limited 20 people per tour to comply with social restrictions.

“Our number one priority is ensuring that our staff and our guests remain safe,” he said. “We’ve taken on board the guidelines and guidance provided by the Queensland State Government and the Queensland Tourism industry Council.”

Littler encouraged those who are unfamiliar with the Bundaberg region to consider visiting the area, which is the gateway to the southern Great Barrier Reef.

“It’s a four-hour drive from Brisbane and it’s a very easy drive as well. Something like 25 per cent of Australia’s fresh produce is grown in the Bundaberg region, so when you do come for a visit, you’re going to have great places to stay, but you’re also going to have great fresh local produce to eat.

“You’re able to access Lady Musgrave and Lady Elliot islands from Bundaberg and it’s also home to the famous Mon Repos turtle rookery, as well as many other great tourism attractions.

“We’re hoping that by reopening the doors, it really shows everybody in Queensland that the Bundaberg region is back open for business and that a trip to this beautiful region, really needs to be on everybody’s bucket list.”

For more information or to pre-book for a distillery tour, visit the Bundaberg Rum Distillery Experience website.

HAVE A SWELL TIME

InQueensland in your inbox. The best local news every workday at lunch time.
By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement andPrivacy Policy & Cookie Statement. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

This is the last weekend to catch Queensland’s largest outdoor sculpture exhibition, with the Gold Coast’s SWELL festival wrapping up on Sunday.

Set along Gold Coast’s Currumbin Beach, the coastal landscape showcases thought-provoking and sculpturally impressive works.

View this post on Instagram

SWELL Sculpture Festival ON NOW until 20th Sept. Come and see for yourself. Main Exhibition – Currumbin Beach Also visit pop-up exhibitions EasterlySWELL – Chevron Island WesterlySWELL – Mudgeeraba NortherlySWELL – Helensvale SWELL Smalls Gallery – Dust Temple, Currumbin SWELL Kids Elements Program – online and at SWELL See link in bio for more details of What’s On Image – @pbrimagesoz Artists – Karl de Waal, Jacqueline Damon, Clayton Blake, Aaron Chapman, John Nesirky + #SWELL2020 #peopleartplace #creativegold #thisisqueensland #VisitGoldCoast #currumbinbeach #artsqld #moregoldcoast #destinationgoldcoast #wearegoldcoast #wearegc #westerlySWELL #northerlySWELL #easterlySWELL #goldcoastcreatives #swellsculpturefestival #sculpture #outdoorexhibiton #sculptureexhibiton #sculpturefestival #welovesculpture #artlovers #artforeveryone #gettingartoutthere #community #artsandculture #culture #SWELLsculpture2020 #majoreventsgc #artintheoutdoors

A post shared by SWELL Sculpture Festival (@swellsculpture) on

SWELL welcomes artists who are keen to break new ground in sculpture presentation and installation art and for close to two decades, it has has played a key role in telling the cultural story of the Gold Coast and the annual event has become one of the highlights of Queensland’s cultural calendar.

In addition to the free outdoor gallery at Currumbin Beach, there are also a series of pop-up exhibitions – westerlySWELL, easterlySWELL, notherlySWELL & SWELL Smalls Gallery.

Visit the SWELL website for more details

NEW EXHIBITION DOWN TO A FINE ART

A new exhibition has launched at the Museum of Brisbane, with Bauhaus Now: art+design+architecture, a legacy of migration and modernism open from today.

Discover why a 20th-century German design school is still considered one of the most influential schools of art and design.

Comprising almost 100 pieces including furniture, design, paintings, printmaking, film, textiles, photography, sculpture, architectural plans and historical imagery, the exhibition shows how revolutionary ideas of the Bauhaus movement influenced modernist art, design and architecture.

The exhibition also reveals the migrant and refugee contribution to Australian life and art history in the inter-war period and post-World War II years.

Bauhaus Now, which runs until April 2021, is a free exhibition, with timed tickets available from the Museum of Brisbane website.

Local News Matters
Advertisement

We strive to deliver the best local independent coverage of the issues that matter to Queenslanders.

Copyright © 2024 InQueensland.
All rights reserved.