To celebrate our festival blooming citywide, we are marking with occasion with the letters of our city’s most famous bloom, the stunning Begonia. We hailed our local creatives to bring the jumbo letters to life by dressing each letter, delivering joy and amazement to your Festival journey.  

We thank our local creatives:

Carla and Mark Maxwell 

Letters B and N 

Carla and Mark have created etched perspex designs onto the letters B and N. Their design for B represents all things Ballarat, Botanical and Begonia whilst integrating trees, flowers and natural elements within the letter. The N captures our sensory values, with a focus on flowers and nature. 

Deborah Klein 

Letters E and O 

Deb’s E is themed Fantasy Florals, reflecting the tradition of the Begonia Festival as a celebration of Ballarat’s unparalleled position as a City of Gardens. This design also draws on the community’s commitment to recycling and sustainability as the flowers featured in the design are all fabricated from re-purposed plastic bottles and containers. The letter O is themed Blacklight Botanical and depicts a colourful painted botanical study by day and a pulsating eye-popping Instagram-worthy event by night. 

Margie Balazic 

Letters G and A 

Margie has taken the game level up a notch, paying homage to classics like Snakes and Ladders with her playful creations. Using illustrative design and clever laser cutting technology, Margie has created 2D and 3D elements for letters G and A. 

Deidre Rosier 

Letter I 

Deidre, a local indigenous artist, has taken inspiration directly from Ballarat’s gardens and surrounds creating beautifully intricate and unique paintwork on the letter I.