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The Kings Park Festival is a long-running tradition to celebrate spring and the wonderful wildflowers that appear throughout the south-west of Western Australia during this time.
From its humble beginnings as a five day event in 1964, depicting plant specimens in jars on trestle tables, the festival has blossomed into the current format of floral displays, acoustic music, exhibitions, workshops, interpretive artworks, guided walks and family activities during the entire month of September.
More than 25,000 plants and dozens of species of wildflowers thrilled visitors and provided the perfect backdrop to the Kings Park Festival in September 2017. Kings Park and Botanic Garden was a kaleidoscope of colour, showcasing the world's biggest and best display of Western Australia's famous wildflowers from every region of the state.
The 2017 Kings Park Festival was proudly presented by the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority and the Friends of Kings Park with the generous support of Lotterywest.
Must-see exhibitions of 2017
Several stunning exhibitions stole the show at this year's Kings Park Festival. The 'Woven Wildernest' sculpture was enjoyed by thousands of visitors who admired the mighty nest and wildflower egg installation. The ephemeral sculpture, designed by local artist Sally Stoneman, sat in the beautiful, peaceful heart of the Western Australian Botanic Garden and honoured the Kwongan eco-region of Western Australia with its use of a reclaimed Kings Park Jarrah tree and native wildflowers.
Another highlight was 'From Pollination to Inspiration' where the three fundamental elements of a plant's life, the flower, the pollen and the seedling, were celebrated. Located near the Floral Clock, this exhibition took a microscopic look at these three elements, seeing them exploding into a larger than life view, bringing the intricacies of the plant world into sharp focus. Visitors loved the Jarrah flowers cut from Jarrah timber, pollen grains suspended in the tree canopy and seedlings emerging from the earth in this installation.
Other Festival Highlights
- Free and fascinating guided walks and talks exploring Kings Park, Bold Park and WA flora.
- Perth's best native plant sale, thanks to the Friends of Kings Park.
- The Wildflowers and Superpowers outdoor exhibition, which showcased some of the more interesting plant and animal relationships found in the WA environment.
- Artists in residence at Aspects of Kings Park.
- The Floating Florals installation at Aspects which saw floral panels adorn the ceiling.
- Acoustic music, the Aspects window installation and much more.
In the media
720 ABC Perth: Kings Park Festival - interview with Festival Director Jacqui Kennedy – 25 August 2017.
Download interview audio file (4.9 MB) or read transcript summary
720 ABC Perth: The Heart of Kings Park - interview with Bill Kerns and Chris Olney – 30 August 2017.
Download interview audio file (3.7 MB) or read transcript summary
Find out about future events by viewing the events calendar, catch up with all the Kings Park news and highlights by subscribing to our e-newsletter or through our social media stream, and stay tuned for another fantastic Festival in 2018!
