Flower appreciation, nighttime

Last year I was a little bit jaded about Canberra's annual flower festival, Floriade - though I did, for various reasons, go back three times! This year I tried Nightfest for the first time. For this you have to buy a ticket (except for a brief experiment years ago, Floride - during the day - is always free) and it seemed less crowded than the times I went last year, which was a big plus.

It might seem strange to go to see flowers in the dark, and for a garden lover I wouldn't recommend it as an alternative to a daytime visit, but gosh they do some beautiful things with lighting and sound and performances.



This pair, the Walks of Art, were costumed as Monet's "Field of poppies," and Van Gogh's "Starry night" and "Sunflowers." My photos don't capture all the details, they were amazing.






Strings on Fire - a circus / fire tricks / sorta cabaret act.





This display/act was the highlight of the night and I don't know what it was called. It was a light show set to music and quite magical. Lots of people in a tree-lined dark space with these amazing inflatable lamps overhead. The music varied from dance to classical. Of course every person was trying to take photos with phones and cameras. I actually went back a second time just to experience it without trying to get any more photos.