After a few wet and drizzly days in Brisbane, the sunshine cast an auspicious glow over the Iconic Buddha Birth Day Festival.
The Parklands were sparkling in traditional Oriental style to the rich vibrant colours of thousands of Red Chinese Lanterns while three gigantic Buddhas sat in tranquility, watchful over the pleasant fragrant sea of hundreds of lilies, carnations and chrysanthemums.
The Piazza hosted a day of grand spectacular commencing with an explosive display of firecrackers at 11:00am, followed by the Grand Cultural Parade with 200 people wearing the traditional national costumes from a range of Asian countries including Korea, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, and China.
As expected, at the heart of all good Asian celebrations was a superb range of vegetarian food delights. Dim sims, noodle soup, fried rice and sushi were just a small part of the tasteful offerings.
Meditation classes, bathing Buddha, Kung Fu displays, Tea Ceremonies, Calligraphy and Tai Chi were just a small part of a wide range of activities.
Following on from a tradition dating back of thousands of years there was a spectacular fireworks display at South Bank commencing at 7:30pm on Sunday.
Organisers of the Buddha Birth Day Festival are pleased that over the past 18 years the Festival, which is now one of the Iconic Events of Queensland, continues to make a valued contribution to the cultural fabric of Brisbane.