
2018 is the 22nd year that the Ginger Flower and Food Festival has been running - Image: Ginger Flower and Food Festival FB
Oh my gosh, this has to be one of the best three day weekends on the Sunshine Coast - the weekend that the iconic
Ginger Factory explodes with colours and tastes at the
Ginger Flower and Food Festival. Garden-wise and plant-wise this is absolutely the best time of the year, with ornamental gingers and heliconias showcasing their exquisite colours and diversity. I can absolutely corroborate this, as our garden is a vibrant display of all things colour
and 'ginger'.

Flowering Gingers - definitely not the edible ones!
Visitors to the
Ginger Flower and Food Festival (did you know that this year is the 22nd year this festival has been running), will have three spectacular days of food, flowers and entertainment, starting on Friday the 19 January to Sunday 21 January. The
Ginger Flower and Food Festival will also be paying special tribute to the long Australian history of Buderim Ginger, which spans seventy-five years - can you believe that! Ginger has been special in our part of the world since before even I was born. The Buderim Ginger business started off as a small farming community and ginger growers' co-operative, before expanding over time to become a booming business and one of the world's largest suppliers of ginger products and beverages.

Exquisite colours of ornamental gingers!
Visitors to the
Ginger Flower and Food Festival will be able to purchase from a stunning selection of more than three thousand plants, which will be available for sale to festival goers. In addition, the
Ginger Flower and Food Festival will be hosting some of the Sunshine Coast's most popular chefs; authors and experts in natural health; and gardening and design. Look out for celebrity chefs,
Matt Golinski, Peter Norman Wolfe and Josh Smallwood who will astound you with their cooking demonstrations; gardening guru
Paul Plant - yep, that's really his name - from
subTropical Gardening Magazine and
Dr Tim Heard, author of
'The Australian Native Bee Book' for lifestyle and informative garden talks.

Get to sample some of Buderim Ginger's new flavours!
On every day of the three day weekend, there are activities in either the
Blue Ginger Room or the
Garden Gazebo, with starting times of 9.30am or 10.00am. To view the very in-depth daily programme of what's happening and at what time at the
Ginger Flower and Food Festival,
please click here. For ease of reference and for getting around, the Festival key locations i.e. the
Blue Ginger Room, the
Garden Gazebo, the
market stalls, the
plant sales, the
market place and the
plant pickup point are also
depicted in the programme link.
Get to sample some of Buderim Ginger's new Ginger Beer ranges, including their brand new flavours and of course, their latest alcoholic temptations.

More than 3000 plants will be available to purchase at the Ginger Flower and Food Festival
The
FREE all-weather
2018 Ginger Flower and Food Festival should be at the top of all foodie and garden enthusiasts
'to do' lists as this is truly a spectacular, colourful festival one wouldn't want to miss!
The Ginger Flower and Food Festival is an explosion of colour and tastes for the whole family - come and share in the exciting celebration of all that is local to the Sunshine Coast.

The Ginger Flower and Food Festival is fun for the whole family! Image: Elaine de Wet
All images courtesy of The Ginger Factory Facebook unless otherwise indicated.