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They are the bright yellow trumpet-looking flowers which herald the beginning of spring and the festival in their honour is one which is eagerly anticipated by garden lovers across the state.
The Daffodils at Rydal festival is an open gardens event celebrating the bright and cheery bulbs which are a dominant feature of many cool climate gardens.
A fixture on the village’s calendar since 2002, this year the festival will run over two weekends: September 8-9 and September 15-16.
Festival committee member Carolyn Andison said there are nine open gardens which visitors can amble through at their leisure and drink in the glory of mass planted daffodils.
“This is such a perfect area for growing daffodils,” Ms Andison said. “At Rydal we sit at 1000 metres [above sea level] and so we get snow and frost. That is perfect for daffodils, so everyone has them in their gardens and we have them in the parks.
“People work really hard to get their gardens ready,” Ms Andison said. “And all the daffodils are coming up, so it will be absolutely beautiful.”
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This year, the festival is expanding to include more entertainment and spectacle for visitors.
“There will be music in the amphitheater, sculptures in the scrub and an art show as well,” Ms Andison said. “We have belly dancers, flamenco dancers and highland dancers. There will be pipe bands, choirs, bell ringers, singers and folk bands.”
The $10 entry fee gets visitors into all the gardens, enables them to enjoy the music and band playing at Pioneers Park, wander through the various stalls, and admits entry into the art show.
A regular part of the event is the barbecue, soup and kebabs available to purchase for lunch at Greg Featherstone Park and Pioneers Park. There will also be a delicious range of home-made baked goods available for morning and afternoon tea.
Drawing a great deal of interest is the Sculptures in the Scrub competition where local artists will install pieces in Pioneers Park and will be judged for first prize and peoples’ choice.
- Gate takings this year will be donated to drought relief for farmers. Daffodils at Rydal Facebook page has more information.