Spring Festival Time

Wellington Botanic Garden is gorgeously dressed with spring flowers - defying the tricky weather as it does every year for the start of Spring Festival.

Tulip Sunday, this weekend, is the traditional start of springtime in Wellington City. The tulips have flowered earlier this year due to the mild weather but there will still be plenty in bloom and lots to see and do.

Enjoy music from four bands: 3 To Go, The Pitts, 10dd and California Dreamers, Dutch choir Bloemkolenkoor and dancing from the Young Tulip Dancers. Music starts at 11.00am at the Soundshell - and traditional Dutch food will be for sale. Mayor Celia Wade-Brown and Dutch Ambassador Arie van der Wiel will speak at 12 noon.

Coinciding with the start of the school holidays, this year's Spring Festival is loaded with activities to help children shake off winter. Families can call into the Cable Car Museum and pick up a colouring competition. The best entry for each age group will win a gift pack from the museum shop. On Monday and Thursday next week, kids aged seven to 12 years can become 'junior apprentice gardeners', and children of all ages can take a ride on the Cable Car with stories from Fairy Trina. On Wednesday, the Treehouse plays host to some friendly critters from Wellington Zoo, including geckos and skinks, and there's a special walking tour for kids, taking in the smells, sounds and feel of the garden.

For the adults, there are talks, Ikebana, vege-growing workshops and guided tours through the gardens, nearby Thorndon and the Karori Cemetery and Bolton Street Memorial Park. Visitors are also invited behind the scenes into the Botanic Garden for a one-off viewing to see where the plants for the Begonia House are grown.

For information on more than 30 different spring events, phone (04) 499 4444 or visit:

Annual Events - Spring Festival

Children must be accompanied by an adult to all activities. Many events are free, but may require bookings. Please check the Spring Festival brochure:

Spring Festival Brochure (1.1Mb PDF)

The brochure is also available from libraries and our offices on Wakefield Street.