Spring’s Dazzling Return: Jacarandas Paint Australia Purple

September 17, 2024

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Of all the signs of spring, none can quite compare to the return of the Jacaranda. The warmer months mark an explosion of dazzling purple on streets around Australia and one of the best places to experience canopies of purple flowers come to life is right here in NSW. When you’ve had your fill frolicking around tulips and paper daisies closer to Sydney, start planning a getaway to the historic town of Grafton for a stunning exhibit worthy of the purple flower’s splendour. Perched on the banks of the Clarence River, the small town hosts Australia’s oldest floral festival with plenty of pomp and show. Parades, lilac-hued food and drink, live entertainment and thousands of purple blooms line the streets of the picturesque town. Here is everything you need to know about the Grafton Jacaranda Festival and it’s 90th edition in 2024.

Grafton Jacaranda Festival, 2024

The community festival is a wonderful escape with plenty of country town quirks, charming local markets, lovely blossoming boughs in every corner and an after hours program across 10 days from Friday, October 25 to Sunday, November 3.

Set to kick off when the blooms typically peak, the event will delight locals and out of towners with 10 days of festivities with the rich lavender blossoms as the centrepiece. The opening day will see a sparkling late night event with illuminated jacarandas, live entertainment and food trucks galore. The following days will feature garden parties, dance spectaculars, long lunches, afternoon teas, highland dancers and much more.

Highlights include the spectacular Float Procession on Saturday, November 2 where Grafton’s entire CBD will transform into a riot of colour, an after party featuring food trucks, bars, and vivid blooms at night and the CHS Training Blossom Wine & Dine Long Lunch which will take place outdoors.

people shopping and eating around market stalls at the jacaranda festival in grafton — Image: Destination NSW

The festival will also run jacaranda city tours daily so you can see all the local landmarks up close. You can also see the trees illuminated at See Park daily from 7.30pm to 10.30pm. Find the full 2024 program here.

It is believed that the first jacaranda trees were planted in Grafton in the 1870s, they’ve since grown both in numbers and popularity with most of these brightly coloured trees now at least 100 years old.

Getting there

Grafton is a 6.5-hour drive from Sydney. For a longer journey, train services operate from Sydney to Grafton every few hours. You can also opt to fly into Grafton and see the festival and the town on a bus tour.