The first Floriade festival in two years drew just over 420,000 visitors from within Canberra and interstate, bumping up speeding offences detected in the city.
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Over a million blooms featured in the 2022 festival, under the theme "Sounds of Spring", between September 17 and October 16.
The total visitor tally of 427,768 was among the top-10 attendance figures in the festival's 35-year run.
Visitation fell slightly below expectations; Chief Minister Andrew Barr said at the beginning of the festival "we should get half a million people through and hopefully, more than $50 million contributing into the territory economy."
Speeding offences detected in Canberra's centre were up by 716, compared to a similar period spanning August and September.
A total 6266 speeding offences were detected in the city's 40km/h zone, compared to 5550 between August 17 and September 17.
The average number of offences during a three-month period prior to Floriade was 6038.
An ACT government spokesperson said "there is no indication that Floriade has had a significant impact on speeding offences detected in the area".
Floriade featured products from Canberra District Wines, Capital Brewing Co. and Agostinis, which were among a range of local food vendors and market stalls.
NightFest also ran alongside the main event, returning in a new format.
The night-time activities saw Commonwealth park illuminated, alongside entertainers, musicians and food.
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Six venues in the park featured entertainment, as well as roving performances.
Attendance was strong, according to a statement from the ACT government, with two of the four nights selling out.
Floriade will return to Commonwealth Park in 2023 between September 16 to October 15, with preparations already underway.
It's theme, "Floral Wonderland" will aim to "create a sense of wonder and enchantment through an immersive experience", an ACT government statement said.
Earlier in the year, Canberra's Enlighten festival drew 338,474 visitors over the length of the two-week event.
It injected $20 million into the territory's economy, the government said.
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Miriam Webber
Miriam Webber is a federal politics and public sector reporter, with a keen interest in integrity, transparency and accountability in government. She has been a member of the federal political bureau since 2023, and previously worked as the city reporter. Reach her at miriam.webber@canberratimes.com.au
Miriam Webber is a federal politics and public sector reporter, with a keen interest in integrity, transparency and accountability in government. She has been a member of the federal political bureau since 2023, and previously worked as the city reporter. Reach her at miriam.webber@canberratimes.com.au
