Kalbar Sunflower Festival leads the way as an
accessible celebration for everyone
From a simple idea to plant sunflowers to survive the drought, the Kalbar Sunflower Festival in the Scenic Rim has become a juggernaut of joy, and this year leads the way as a celebration for all abilities, and all ages.
Owner Manager of Kalbar Sunflowers Jenny Jenner said she wanted everyone to experience the happiness of the sunflowers, whether able-bodied, in a wheelchair, as a child or an elder.
“For the first time, we are introducing a Sensory Garden, a Fairy Garden of mini-sunflowers for those in wheelchairs and littlies - so the flowers are at their respective eye height, and 180m of wheelchair tracking through the sunflowers for added accessibility,” she said.
“We will also have a Quiet Tent for those with sensory needs, and we will have buggy rides through the sunflowers for those with added accessibility issues.”
“This has been a huge project but it’s something I am committed to creating, to ensure the flowers can be experienced by everyone, as was Russell and my original intention.”
The 2024 Kalbar Sunflower Festival will feature sunrise yoga and sound healing in the sunflowers, adults and children’s sunflower art classes, unique dining experience with long lunches and a dinner event, photography mini sessions, flower crown masterclasses and a range of other special events, workshops and experiences and even helicopter rides above the sunflower paddocks. Or just wander through the sunflower fields and enjoy the mountain views.
TICKETS GO ON SALE AT THE END OF MARCH
ABOUT THE KALBAR SUNFLOWER FESTIVAL – a celebration born of heartache
When life deals you heartache, grow Sunflowers and they will come. This is what the Jenners, a farming family in Kalbar in the Scenic Rim did in 2021. Three years later Jenny is preparing to plant more than a million sunflowers for the fourth annual Kalbar Sunflower Festival, now a three-day celebration of sunflowers, sunshine, happiness and big-heartedness from April 19 to 21.
In 2021, Lucerne farmers Jenny and Russell Jenner were struggling to keep their crops alive during one of the longest droughts in memory. Water had gotten so scarce they couldn’t grow their main crop, but after Russell brought a bunch of sunflowers home from the grocery store, they had a light bulb moment, sunflowers need very little water and they look spectacular, and from there the Festival grew.
Life has not gotten any easier for the Jenners. In late 2021 Russell was diagnosed with Stage 4 Oesophageal Cancer. His stoic nature saw him battle through and help create happiness at the 2022 and 2023 Festivals where over $115,000 was raised for cancer care. Unfortunately, Russell lost his battle a few months later in July 2023.
2024 is the first Festival without Russell, and Jenny is determined to continue farming and creating a joyful experience for visitors, dedicated to her very own Sunflower Man – Russell – and aiming to raise $100,000 for The Mater Cancer Care Centre at Springfield.
BOOK ACCOMODATION NOW
The only way to absolutely guarantee tickets is to book accommodation now. All accommodation booked in the Scenic Rim region for the weekend of the Festival will have tickets available as a package deal. There is still plenty of room for camping and caravan sites at Kalbar Showground, Boonah Showground, Aratula Sports Ground and at Moogerah Dam. See the full listing of ACCOMODATION OPTIONS here Accommodation — Kalbar Sunflowers
KALBAR SUNFLOWER FESTIVAL
April 19 to 21, 2024
Adults $32 includes a donation to the Mater Foundation Cancer Care Centre and if buying online through Ticketebo, go in the draw to win a $4000 lab diamond from The Moissanite Company at New Farm.
Teens – 13-17 years old $15; Children 12 and under are free.
Companion Cards are free with a paying visitor.
#sunflowersforgood
Kalbar Sunflower Festival partners with Kalbar Progress Association, Kalbar Rural Fire Brigade and Boonah State High School.
Festival thanks Tourism and Events Queensland and the Scenic Rim Regional Council for their support.
9 Cool Things You Might Not Know About Sunflowers
Thanks to goodhousekeeping.com
1. Each sunflower is actually thousands of teeny flowers.
The iconic yellow petals and fuzzy brown centres are actually individual flowers themselves. As many as 2,000 can make up the classic sunflower bloom.
2. You should harvest sunflowers in the morning, not the afternoon.
Planning to clip a few to display in a vase? If you wait until the afternoon, they may wilt.
3. A dried sunflower makes a unique, natural bird feeder.
Feathered friends love to snack on sunflower seeds just like we do. Hang a sunflower head face up un a tree or on your deck as the perfect bird feeder!
4. Sunflowers are native to the Americas and were domesticated around 1000 B.C.
Even way back when, people saw the value in growing sunflowers, which are still harvested for sunflower seeds (and the oil you can make from them) today. In 2014, 1.7 million acres were planted in the United States, the USDA reports. The majority of those were found in North Dakota. Queensland and NSW are Australia’s major sunflower growing states.
5. Each sunflower can contain as many as 1,000 to 2,000 seeds.
So there’s heaps for birdies to munch on! But you can harvest and roast them for yourself, too.
6. There are about 70 species of sunflowers.
Their genus name is Helianthus (which comes from the Greek words for "sun" and "flower"). While many varieties look bright and cheery, their shapes can be quite different.
7. The French word for sunflower is "tournedos," which means "turns with the sun."
In their bud phase, sunflowers will literally seek out and face the sun. This trait is called heliotropism.
8. The tallest sunflower on record was over 30 feet tall.
Coming in at 30-feet, 1-inch, the bloom was grown in Germany by Hans-Peter Schiffer, who has held the record twice before.
9. Sunflowers have been planted to help soak up nuclear radiation.
They're not just pretty faces; sunflowers are actually good at absorbing toxins, too. Millions were planted after the devastating tsunami destroyed reactors in the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan.
9. Sunflowers MAKE YOU HAPPY!
For further information, interviews or imagery, please contact Kath Rose on 0416 291 493 or email kath@kathrose.com
