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This long weekend is your last chance to catch Bowral’s tulip festival

Carla Grossetti Carla Grossetti
Discover the vibrant beauty of Bowral during its annual Tulip Time Festival, a seasonal celebration of colour, blooms and community.

Each spring, the vibrant village of Bowral becomes quilted in colour as thousands of flowers bloom for the annual Tulip Time Festival in the Southern Highlands. Here’s how to get amongst it over the long weekend.

What is Bowral’s Tulip Time Flower Festival?

bowral tulip festival
See more than 80,000 mass planted tulips and annuals. (Image: Destination NSW)

 Bowral’s Tulip Time Flower Festival this year extends from September 21 to October 6. Running for more than six decades, the annual festival has transformed Corbett Gardens in Wingecarribee Street into a floral wonderland, with more than 80,000 mass planted tulips and annuals. 

Although the festival purports to be about one thing – tulips – it also honours the arrival of spring, offering a vibrant experience for visitors. A quick rewind tells us the Tulip Time Flower Festival began in Bowral when the local Rotary Club donated 500 tulip bulbs after a previous floral festival had failed due to a lack of funding. These days, the Southern Highlands festival draws visitors from across Australia to watch the seasons change. 

And while it’s still very much a community event, it has grown into quite the spectacle. Visitors are invited to wander through fields that pop with red, pink and yellow blooms and provide the perfect backdrop for happy snaps. 

What to see at Bowral’s Tulip Time Flower Festival?

A pond with colourful butterfly sculptures in it surrounded by tulips
Wander through fields that pop with red, pink and yellow blooms. (Image: Destination NSW)

The annual Tulip Time Flower Festival is more than just flowers. Blooming Weekends add an extra foodie focus to the affair with indulgences like The Beekeepers Long Lunch Experience and Sunset Evenings at Retford Park every Friday and Saturday.  For something a bit playful, channel your inner Bridgerton babe for the annual Tulip Time Garden Party, which includes a Bloom Bar, food, markets, live bands and a DJ. You can also board the Moss Vale Picnic Train at Central and arrive in Moss Vale or Bowral in style. 

Be sure to hit the Tulip Trail and alight at Bowral for a bespoke experience at Millsheds Distillery.  The distillery will transform into an enchanted wonderland during the festival for Tulips After Dark: The Secret Garden. Tumble down the rabbit hole to enjoy the Alice in Wonderland theme featuring everything from twinkling lights to live music and artisan markets. 

Tulips blooming in front of a sculpture
The festival honours the arrival of spring. (Image: Destination NSW)

Wondering what else to do with the kids on the long weekend? Fans of the movie Babe can catch the fun family-friendly flick on the big screen at Robertson School of Performing Arts on October 5 between 9.30am and 3.30pm. Robertson’s infamous Big Potato – affectionately known as the ‘big turd’ – has had a whimsical makeover by artist Samuel Hall who has transformed this landmark ‘big thing’ into the ‘Pig Potato’ for the film’s 30th anniversary event. 

The country fair will be a celebration that is equal parts quirky, nostalgic and heartwarming, much like the film itself. This year’s inaugural Horizontal Festival also coincides with the annual Tulip Time Flower Festival over the first weekend in October. 

Renowned Australian chef Mark Best will headline at the festival, hosted at Centennial Vineyards, where he will be joined by top local chefs such as Simon Evans, of Bangalay Dining and ex-MasterChef contestant Mindy Woods (Karkalla on Country). The event will also bring together artisan producers and acclaimed winemakers – such as Millsheds Distillery and Cupitt’s Estate – for the spring celebration. Check the program for guided garden tours, local market stalls, flower-arranging workshops at the Southern Highlands Flower Farm and more. And don’t miss the Bradman Dash, when everyone from seasoned sprinters to weekend warriors takes part in a series of short-distance heats on 4 October.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

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Where to stay

Berida Hotel
Enjoy a luxe stay at Berida Hotel (Image: Destination NSW)

The beautiful thing about Bowral is that it’s just a few hours’ drive from Sydney. If you do want to bunker down in the village, Berida Hotel is one of the most beautiful places to stay. The ivy-clad boutique hotel was recently renovated and feels worlds away from the hamster wheel of your life in Sydney. The luxe hotel was built in 1925 and you can see the leaves of the trees dancing from the comfort of your room. 

The best Bowral accommodation for the annual Tulip Time Flower Festival also includes those in proximity to the petals from the Black Barn Bowral to Peppers Manor House, Park Proxi Gibraltar Bowral and Peppers Craigieburn Bowral. You can also gather your entourage and stay in The Pill Factory in nearby Bundanoon. 

Ticket Prices

Online tickets (not including booking fee)

Adults: $18.50 per person
Concession: $12.50 per person
Youth: $12.50* per person (13-17yrs)
Child: Free under 12 years

At the gate (no cash)

Adults: $20 per person
Concession: $13.50pp
Youth: $13.50 per person (13-17yrs)
Child: Free under 12 years

Carla Grossetti
Carla Grossetti has written across print and digital for Australian Traveller and International Traveller for more than a decade and has spent more than two decades finding excuses to eat well and travel far. A prestigious News Corp cadetship launched her career at The Cairns Post, before a stint at The Canberra Times and The Sydney Morning Herald gave way to extended wanders through Canada, the US, Mexico, Central America, Asia and Europe. Carla was chief sub editor at delicious and has contributed to Good Food, Travel & Luxury, Explore Travel, Escape. While living in London, Carla was on staff at Condé Nast Traveller and The Sunday Times Travel desk and was part of the pioneering digital team at The Guardian UK.
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The secret Sydney suite life: a luxury under-the-radar stay right on the harbour

    Kate Bettes Kate Bettes
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    This winter, these secret Sydney harbour suites are the staycation we’ve been looking for.

    Whether it’s the crisscrossing ferries or the white sails of the Opera House rising out of blue depths, Australia’s biggest city lives for its harbour. But while locals might glance at that watery expanse on their daily commute across the Bridge, it can still be hard to truly connect with Sydney’s maritime soul. The secret: seeing the harbour eye-to-eye, right at water level. And what better place to submerge yourself in that energy than sleeping there? That’s where Pier One Sydney Harbour comes in (and with new all-inclusive bed and breakfast benefits, there’s even more to love).

    All-inclusive VIP benefits

    Who Is Elijah Amenities at Pier One Sydney Harbour
    Book in for the all-inclusive VIP treatment.

    The hard truth is that it will be very difficult to tear yourself away from your ultra-luxurious harbour home-away-from-home to explore the city. If you want to make leaving even harder, opt for Pier One’s all-inclusive VIP treatment.

    The Bed and Breakfast with Suite Benefits package turns up the volume on what is already the ultimate staycation, with complimentary valet parking, daily breakfast for two and turndown service. The biggest perk? Enjoy a bottle of French champagne every day during your whole stay

    Pier One Sydney Harbour

    Pier One Sydney Harbour
    Step into a piece of history with all the modern comforts. (Credit: Dave Wheeler)

    The five-star Pier One Sydney Harbour is quite literally old Sydney through and through. Built on what was once a working cargo wharf and the passenger terminal for those heading to the North Shore before the bridge was constructed, the heritage building sits right between the tangle of cobblestones, pubs and alleyways of The Rocks and the historic docking zone of Walsh Bay – at the centre of the city’s old sea trade.

    If knowing the hotel’s history isn’t enough to get your sea-longing going, the interior design certainly will. As soon as you step up to the concierge desk in the lobby of the restored building – which underwent a $15 million redevelopment in 2019 – you’re immersed in Sydney’s seafaring tale. Weathered wood panelling and white marble floors surround you, while loop lighting installations hover above the bar island just beyond, ringed with stools ready for intimate, martini-tinted conversations. Steel rivets and timber beams speak to its past, and glass-walled views anchor you firmly in the present-day life on the harbour.

    Pier One Suites

    Pier One Sydney Harbour admiral suite
    Enjoy incredible views from your suite.

    Across the 189 rooms and suites built on and over the water, the maritime theme continues. Sculptural aged brass fittings, exposed girders, colour schemes that evoke shifting currents, and mirrors that reflect ripples that – depending on your booking – sit just metres from your pillow.

    United on theme yet unique in set-up, each room or suite is different. On the ground floor, dog-friendly rooms with direct access to the pier are all prepped for pampered pups, while others have views and even balconies overlooking Walsh Bay, the Bridge and the Harbour.

    But the 19 suites step things up even more. Gaze out through floor-to-ceiling windows, or get even closer. Your private balcony is made for sipping a Nespresso coffee on as the sun comes up – or soaking in the bathtub of the Admiral Suite on the deck, a drink from the locally stocked mini bar in hand. This mini bar was recently completely transformed, so you have more Aussie favourites to choose from, including alcohol and snacks.

    Dining at Pier One

    Pier Bar Pier One Sydney Harbour
    Settle in for an afternoon of good drinks and views.

    Once you’re checked in, start your afternoon with a spritz at PIER BAR – or arrive by boat via the private pontoon if the occasion calls for it – and settle into one of the cabanas. Weekdays bring Happy Hour (or ‘sunset hour’ at Pier One); weekends bring the DJs. After an even sweeter experience? The Everyday Creamery and Matcha Kiosk is slinging mango and vanilla soft serve – classic and those spiked with Midori and gin alike.

    PIER Dining is an ode to contemporary Australian flavours across the terrace, pier and dining room. On its seafood-leaning menu are Sydney rock oysters from Merimbula, potato scallops with salmon roe and crème fraîche, chicken with melting sundried tomato butter, vodka rigatoni with Shark Bay prawns. And the ‘Pierlova’ – that’s pavlova with chocolate, dulce de leche and banana is worth saving room for. Make sure to ask for the wine list – it’s 100 per cent Australian drops.

    Around town

    luna park, sydney opera house and sydney harbour bridge
    Explore the neighbourhood during your stay. (Credit: Destination NSW)

    If you’re strong enough to polish off just one last pastry from the breakfast buffet and walk out the door, we applaud you. Luna Park across the harbour beckons with its wide grin, while a glance upward might spur you to climb the Bridge’s famous iron arches. The Opera House – just across Circular Quay from the Museum of Contemporary Art – sings out for a concert.

    You’ll want to book ahead for those hot-ticket performances at Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Dance Company, just a few minutes’ walk south of the hotel. Ten minutes further brings you to the waterfront bars, restaurants and clubs of Barangaroo, or the karaoke, gardens and dim sum of Chinatown further afield.

    Keep the mellow of your weekend getaway going with a stop at Barangaroo Reserve, watching the yachts go by – all before returning for that Sydney sundowner at Pier One.

    Ready to make that Pier One stay a reality? Book the ultimate Sydney staycation at pieronesydneyharbour.com.au