Rydal was awash with colour, creativity and visitors as Daffodils at Rydal 2026 opened for another year, celebrating spring in one of the Central West’s most picturesque villages.
The festivities began on Friday 11 September, with the official launch by well-known author, gardener and television personality Mary Moody, who entertained the crowd with the story of how she became an “accidental gardening writer”.
It was a fitting story for an event built around gardens, creativity and the unexpected directions life can take. Mary’s warmth, humour and obvious love of gardening struck a chord with those gathered to celebrate the opening of another Daffodils at Rydal.
Joining the community for the launch were Federal Member for Calare Andrew Gee, State Member for Bathurst Paul Toole, and Lithgow Mayor Cassandra Coleman, reflecting the significance of the long-running event to the local community and the wider region.
Art was also very much at the heart of this year’s celebrations, with the Art and Sculpture Show at Kimbri attracting more than 300 entries.
Curated by local artists Annie Herron and Annie Joseph, the exhibition offered an extraordinary array of paintings, sculpture and other works, with local artists strongly represented. The quality and variety of the exhibition drew plenty of attention from visitors – and plenty of red dots, with many works finding new homes over the weekend.
Set in the beautiful surrounds of Kimbri, the exhibition provided a wonderful showcase for the depth of artistic talent across Lithgow and the surrounding region.
Throughout Rydal, live music at various locations added another layer to the festivities, providing a soundtrack as visitors wandered between gardens, artworks, stalls and village attractions.
And, of course, the stars of the weekend were the daffodils themselves.
Each spring, thousands of daffodils transform Rydal, appearing along roadsides, through paddocks and gardens and beneath the village’s magnificent established trees. Together with the historic buildings and rural landscape, they create the distinctive display that has drawn generations of visitors to the village.
But Daffodils at Rydal is about much more than flowers. It is the combination of gardens, art, music, food and community that gives the event its character.
Despite attracting visitors from well beyond the Lithgow region, it retains the welcoming feel of a small country village throwing open its gates and inviting everyone in.
After a long Central Tablelands winter, there could hardly be a better way to welcome spring – daffodils blooming, music playing, art filling Kimbri and Rydal once again bustling with visitors.
