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Dates
- From 17 September to 16 October 2005
Time
- Monday to Friday 9.00am–5.00pm; Weekends and Public Holidays 8.00am–6.00pm
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Location
- Commonwealth Park, Canberra
Don Quixote in Floriade
About Floriade
- The Don Quixote sculpture garden is part of the floral exposition, Floriade open at present at Canberra’s Commonwealth Park. Floriade, as the Dutch Keukenhof, is an exhibition of bulbs. This year there are 1,47 million flowers, distributed over an area of 4 hectares. The Floriade has been celebrated since 1986, the first Floriade was part of the commemorations of the Australian Bicentennial. Floriade 2005 is open from the 18th of September to the 16th of October.
- Floriade is the main popular event in Canberra, attracting more than three hundred thousand visitors each year, almost the equivalent to the population of the Australian national capital. Floriade is followed in popularity by the Multicultural Festival, which takes place in February.
Don Quixote Garden
- The Quixote Sculpture Garden, sponsored and co designed by this Embassy, is formed by a group of sculptures that represent the Adventure of the Windmills, three windmills and Don Quixote and Sancho on their saddles. The sculptures were made by Russel Brown assisted by William Fleming. Mr Brown also made the decorations for the musical The Man of La Mancha, when it was shown in Canberra in the 1970’s.
- The group of sculptures is surrounded by seasonal flowers of ochre and garnet shades, and by about one thousand tulips. The tulips were created last year by an Australian horticulturalist, who named them Don Quixote, they are a dark rich purple and mauve shade.
- In a well-appointed spot there is a large billboard with the Spanish Coat of Arms and the centenary logo with the following inscription: Don Quixote Scuplture Garden. This garden commemorates the 400th anniversary of Miguel de Cervantes’ classic novel “Don Quixote of La Mancha”. The world famous best seller is the main topic of over 300 films, 80 pieces of music, including 33 ballets, more than 30 stage shows and operettas and it has more than 2800 translations. This representation of the “Adventure of the windmills” by Don Quixote and his squire, Sancho Panza, also features a thousand Tulipa “Don Quixote”. Proudly presented by the Embassy of Spain.
Other activities
- The garden will complemented by other activities sponsored by this Embassy and in celebration of our National Day.
- At midday on Friday the 7th of October at the Look ‘n Learn Marquee, the Education Office will be organizing craft activities and contests for children. There will also be an exposition of drawings about Don Quixote as part of a nation wide contest run by the Education Office. A Flamenco Guitar Recital by the Australian guitarist Peter Williamson, and an opera song recital along with Don Quixote musicals. There will also be recital of opera songs and Quijote musicals as well as popular Spanish songs, performed by Rebecca Colins and Viviene Winther from the Stopera group.
- In a well-appointed spot there is a large billboard with the Spanish Coat of Arms and the centenary logo with the following inscription: Don Quixote Scuplture Garden. This garden commemorates the 400th anniversary of Miguel de Cervantes’ classic novel “Don Quixote of La Mancha”. The world famous best seller is the main topic of over 300 films, 80 pieces of music, including 33 ballets, more than 30 stage shows and operettas and it has more than 2800 translations. This representation of the “Adventure of the windmills” by Don Quixote and his squire, Sancho Panza, also features a thousand Tulipa “Don Quixote”. Proudly presented by the Embassy of Spain.
- On Saturday the 15th of October, the closing day of the exhibition, there will be a show with readings from Don Quixote by the actor Hermann Pretorious. The background music will be performed by students of the School of Music from the Australian National University, Gregory O’Orourke, Harold Gretton and Tom Ward. Popular Spanish songs will be performed by the same guitarists. Another recital of opera songs and Quijote musicals as well as popular Spanish songs will be performed by the previously mentioned singers from Stopera; there will be ballet dancing from Ludwig Minkus’ Don Quixote, as well as regional Spanish dances presented by students from Los Carmonas Dance Academy, Sydney.
- On the days mentioned there will be appearances by Quijote and Sancho around the gardens; they will be greeting visitors, helping them to take photographs, and telling stories about their adventures.