Bloom time: top 10 things to do at the 2024 Ballarat Begonia Festival

City of Ballarat gardens and nursery curator Donna Thomas has confirmed the begonia collection on show will enjoy evaporative air conditioning in the Robert Clark Conservatory.

While Begonia is a plant suited to cold climates, hence our collection being the envy of anthophiles worldwide, Ms Thomas said the conservatory has a misting system to cool the show-stoppers down as soon as the temperature inside climbs higher than 30 degrees.

The forecast for the long weekend is for three consecutive days with a top of 36 degrees, from March 9 to 11.

Not that it matters for this weekend, but there are heated slabs to keep displays warm in winter.

The begonia collection on display also operates on a subs basis, so when needed the display can be changed up.

City of Ballarat's gardens and nursery team has 1600 begonias from 240 cultivars.

On display, females must be kept separate from the more flashy male varieties to ensure full blooming and no distractions.

While the City's internationally-renowned begonia collection, dating back to the 1890s, takes centre stage in the Robert Clark Conservatory, there is still plenty to entertain flower lovers, families, foodies and those keen for something fun to do.

We've got you covered here - but also, if you are heading into the conservatory, you definitely need to check out what City of Ballarat gardens team has billed as a "never-before seen" cultivated begonia George Longley. The George Longley is one of three Ballarat-created begonias: Lady B (named after dedicated growers Sheree Blood and Erin Brennan), Peter Marquand (long-time gardens curator) in a deep begonia with lots of petals; and the Longley, which was a unique pale apricot shade.

The Longley is a a bloom named after Ballarat Botanical Gardens' inaugural curator.

Billed as the 2024 Begonia Festival theme, this actually innocuous "fever" display is all about paying tribute to the return of a (reconstructed) old beauty.

The newly built Ballarat fernery on the edge of Ballarat Botanical Gardens has an official re-opening in the festival, restored to replicate the fernery's 1880s glory.

City of Ballarat mayor Des Hudson said the fernery created an almost separate space in the garden that could be used for events or by school groups - and the fernery was looking beautiful.

Spiral designs inspired by fern fronds can be found throughout the begonia display, but the real highlight is in the 400 ferns in the fernery and a further 400 exotic plants in the grounds.

What was old is new again with a nod to mazes past in Ballarat Botanical Gardens.

Creative Mazes, run by former Ballarat resident Chris Bennett, has been collaborating with the City of Ballarat to install the Begonia Maze for the 2024 festival.

This is a chance to immerse yourself into a world of floral colour by taking on a quiz to navigate to the maze's end.

Originally, there was a maze made of prickly wattle bush developed in the gardens in 1862 at the site of where Robert Clark Conservatory now stands. The maze was removed in 1881 in preparation for the conservatory's construction in the early 1900s.

A second maze was planted in the North Gardens in 1888 to the same design as the United Kingdom's oldest surviving hedge maze at Hampton Court Palace in London.

The maze was made of privet and whitethorn hedges with a watch tower in the middle but, after seven decades, the maze was removed in 1959 due to persistent vandalism.

Those mesmerising stilt-walking performers are back swinging, spinning and bending atop tall poles decorated in, of course, begonias.

Such rovers are known for swaying as bees, bugs and butterflies across the Gardens' main lawn with music and dance in a circus-like performance.

SWAY is offering the world premiere of These Things for the festival.

City of Ballarat mayor Des Hudson said SWAY perfectly captured the movement and colour of flowers in the garden.

River Cottage Australia's Paul West has skirt steak tacos and grilled chilli corn on the menu for a cooking demonstration.

West, a renowned champion for homegrown produce and cooking, will also run horticulture and nature-based presentations.

MasterChef Australia alumna Courtney Roulston is also set to inspire time in the kitchen with an improved cooking game.

Roulston will be serving up a demonstration on how to cook Vietnamese prawn fritters and a barbecue vegetable salad with coconut rice.

Gardening Australia's Hannah Moloney and Jerry Coleby-Williams are on hand to offer gardening advice both to get you started and how to care for the festival stars - begonias.

Moloney will lead sustainability and gardening workshops to help you grow plants from scratch and how to build a wicking bed to help with watering.

Coleby-Williams is widely regarded as an expert in growing and caring for begonias. He will also share his tips for living more sustainably.

Patrons can also explore the City of Ballarat's parks and gardens' apprentice exhibition, an impressive display reminiscent of the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

AFL club Western Bulldogs is keeping its presence felt at Ballarat's most beloved festival with a footy clinic and skills challenge.

The Bulldogs will be found in a sports zone offering family fun.

Begonia's sports zone will also feature obstacle course to challenge strength, agility and speed.

City of Ballarat mayor Des Hudson also encouraged children to explore sustainability activities, such as sorting rubbish into four bins, which the city's waste system will soon feature.

Children's activities also feature the chance to construct and hammer things.

Plenty of big names have been part of this decades-long tradition from Bluey and Bingo right back to the days of the Begonia Queen (last crowned in 1993) and a royal sovereign in Queen Elizabeth II making a visit in 1954.

Costa the Gnome and Dirt Girl have also been popular parade figures.

While not part of the parade - but quite the big deal in 2016 - LEGO designer Ryan "The Brickman" McNaught unveiled the world's largest outdoor LEGO flower.

A cluster of nurseries and horticulture societies have a range of flowers, plants, tools and gardening advice on hand with more than 20 stalls expected for the Begonia Market.

This is a chance to find your forever Begonia and for plant enthusiasts to take home a piece of the festival.

Don't forget to see above for top gardening advice to ensure the best care for your new floral friend.

B.E.G.O.N.I.A will once again be spelt out in the Sturt Street Gardens for inspiration and fun for those seeking a great selfie spot or Insta inspiration - plus it is nice to look at when driving through the city.

This sign has been designed by Wadawurrung traditional owner and artist Billy O'Toole.

Each letter symbolises a different feature of Wadawurrung Country, on which the Begonia Festival is held.

Jazz, folk-pop, Latin and gospel music are all part of the line-up at Ballarat Botanical Gardens.

This is a chance to sit back, maybe enjoy some food from more than 20 vendors in two foodie zones or sample a crafted beverage from some of Ballarat's favourite brewers.

And while you are relaxing, this is also a chance to stop and smell the roses - or in this festival, the begonias.