The 2009 Kings Park Festival was once again a huge success with a myriad of spectacular events and activities attracting gardening enthusiasts, families, school students, artists, seniors and fashion lovers in their droves to Kings Park and Botanic Garden.
A popular highlight of the Festival was the spectacular displays of West Australian wildflowers blooming in the Conservation Garden and entry to the Botanic Garden throughout the month of September. Over 600,000 visitors witnessed the array of native flora at their brilliant best, with many displays in planning up to 3 years in advance. Visitors had the opportunity to view approximately 3000 species of our state’s native wildflowers throughout 17 hectares of the Western Australian Botanic Garden, providing a snapshot of flora found from the Kimberley region to the South West coast.
‘Art in Nature’ was the theme for this year’s Festival, which highlighted the beauty of the Western Australian environment and the inspiration that the natural world provides to artists in creating their works. Visitors had the opportunity to be inspired by various local art societies showcasing and displaying their works within the Botanic Garden, meet artists in the Aspects of Kings Park Gallery Shop, stroll through the Botanic Garden with a self guided art trail and enroll in one of the many creative workshops on offer.
Lotterywest Wild Fairyland Festival - Sunday 20 September
Many thousands of fairies, wizards, dragons and elves attended the Wild Fairyland Festival for 2009, despite the rain and wind. Families were entertained by magic shows, met a magical unicorn, had wishes granted by the Fairy Queen and discovered secret bush treasures with the loveable Gompho Wizardwort. There was also much fun to be had with balloon modelers, face painters, bush crafts, pony rides and the fun filled fairy dance party with the Queen Fairy to end the day's festivities. Thanks to the Friends of Kings Park and Lotterywest for supporting this event.
Wildflower Market Place - Friday 25 - Monday 28 September
The bustling Wildflower Market Place was open for four days over the September long weekend with a range of market stalls including a delightful selection of jewellery, fresh native flowers, bush foods and native seeds. The always popular Friends of Kings Park native plant sale was a fantastic success, and raised thousands of dollars for conservation and research projects to be conducted at Kings Park and Botanic Garden.
Visitors to Kings Park over the long weekend had the chance to enjoy the Wildflower Wonderland Theatre Show: Spring Fever, starring our very own Wandering Wildflowers. Audiences watched on in delight as springtime had the characters getting their petals in a twist, in tune with an educational environmental message. The Common Ground dance troupe wowed the crowds with didgeridoo and dance performances, with locals and tourists alike entertained by the highly interactive show. Also wandering throughout the Botanic Garden was stilt walker extraordinaire Ross Vegas from Bizircus, amusing the crowd with his balloon modeling and dancing talents. Thanks to Lotterywest for their support of these activities.
Also featured across the long weekend, was an exciting line up of musical talent performing on the main stage in the Botanic Garden. These included local community bands, brass and swing bands, acoustic acts and a classical duo that provided the perfect atmosphere for a spring picnic. The grand finale of the Kings Park Festival on Monday 28 September saw thousands of people relaxing in the Botanic Garden to the delightful sounds of the Everlasting Jazz Picnic, which featured an amazing line up of local jazz talent including The Hounds, Descarga and the Penny King Quartet.
Workshops and Presentations
During the month of September, a diverse series of workshops and talks from garden specialists, scientists, crafts people and artists were on offer courtesy of the Connect with Kings Park program, sponsored by the Water Corporation. These included How to Grow Rare and Endangered Plants in your Home Garden with Dr Tony Scalzo and Luke Sweedman, Contemporary Art in Nature Digital Photography with Louise Mann, Clay Sculpture inspired by nature with Graham Longhurst and Western Australia: a Biological Wonderland with Chief Scientist of WA, Prof. Lyn Beazley to name a few. Many of the presentations were hosted by Kings Park specialists, covering such areas as propagation, turf maintenance and the future of home gardening. Over 1900 people also participated in a free guided wildflower over the month of September, alongside a number of bird walks taking in the delights of spring at Bold Park and Kings Park.
The annual Great Quiz on Legs was attended by 800 primary school students, as a call to action for National Threatened Species Day. Students were treated to a fantastic line up of educational activities, including the Great Aussie Waterwise Garden Theatre Show, native reptiles and raptors, Indigenous storytelling and numerous fun and informative presentations throughout the Botanic Garden. The “Wildflower in Focus” poster exhibition also received a tremendous response, and showcased an amazing selection of nature inspired art work by local school students. Thank you to all the wonderful organisations and schools that were involved with these activities.
Featured Artists at Aspects of Kings Park included textile artist Trudi Pollard, who explored the delicate art of shibori and Walpole artists Clive and Jenny Kendrick, who draw inspiration from nature to create artistic masterpieces made from wood. Bec Juniper’s intriguing exhibition Botany Lot 642 was also on display throughout the month of September, with six original pieces painted exclusively for the Kings Park Festival.
A special thank you to the 2009 Kings Park Festival sponsors including Friends of Kings Park, Lotterywest, Water Corporation and Mix 94.5 and the very dedicated Kings Park volunteer groups including the Kings Park Guides, Friends of Kings Park and Volunteer Master Gardeners who provided hundreds of hours of their time to make the Festival a huge success. The combined support of these organisations and groups has enabled the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority to deliver another wonderful Kings Park Festival to the community.
Special thanks to the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority's staff and contractors for their wonderful efforts in creating another successful Kings Park Festival.
