The Leura Gardens Festival runs Friday 2 to Monday 5 October 2026, with gardens open 9.30am–4.30pm each day. It falls on the October long weekend and sits inside the NSW spring school holidays — which makes it the busiest four days of spring in the upper mountains.
Everything below is taken from the festival’s own site and NSW Government sources, checked on 18 September 2026. Links to the originals are at the bottom.
The essentials
| Dates | Friday 2 – Monday 5 October 2026 |
| Hours | 9.30am – 4.30pm daily |
| All gardens | $40 |
| Three gardens | $20 |
| Single garden | $10 |
| Children 16 and under | Free |
| Shuttle bus | $10 all day (under 16 free) |
| Tickets on sale | Online from 1 August 2026 |
Tickets are valid for the full four days, so you can spread the gardens across the weekend rather than rushing them in one afternoon. Money raised supports the Blue Mountains District ANZAC Memorial Hospital and local health-related organisations.
Which gardens are open in 2026
Ten gardens are listed for 2026: The Braes, Westholme, Ewanrigg, Allawah, Carramar, Tusculum, Fjell Heim, Merrilong, QUANTM and Honeysett. They sit across Leura, Wentworth Falls and Katoomba — which is why most people use the festival bus rather than moving the car between them.
The hop-on hop-off bus
- $10 for an all-day ticket; children under 16 free.
- Runs from Leura Station, approximately every 20–30 minutes.
- First bus 9.30am for the Leura and Katoomba gardens, 10.30am for Wentworth Falls.
- Last departure 4.30pm.
- A separate service runs between Leura Station and Wentworth Falls.
If you’re coming up from Sydney, the Blue Mountains Line runs to Leura Station and the bus leaves from there — no car needed for the festival itself.
Know before you go
- No toilets in the festival gardens. Plan around the village.
- No strollers, and no dogs except assistance dogs.
- The festival notes that accessibility can be a problem — these are private gardens on sloping ground, so judge each one on your own needs. Wheelchair users enter free, and so does a carer.
- Tickets can be bought online, at Festival HQ on Fitzroy Street, the festival stand in Leura Mall, at any garden gate, or by QR code. EFTPOS is available at all locations.
Why this particular weekend books out
Three things stack on the same four days. Labour Day falls on Monday 5 October 2026, making it a long weekend. NSW spring school holidays run Monday 28 September to Friday 9 October 2026, so families are already up here. And the gardens only open once a year.
If you want a quieter version of the same gardens, come on the Friday. The long weekend crowd arrives Saturday.
Where to stay
Staying in Leura itself means the Mall, the festival stand and the station bus stop are all walkable — which matters on a weekend when parking is the main friction.
Magnolia Cottage is a self-contained cottage in the heart of Leura, sleeping four, with a fireplace and firepit for the cold October evenings. Walking distance to the Mall and five minutes to Everglades.
Sources
- Leura Gardens Festival — dates, hours and the 2026 garden list
- Ticket prices and transport — prices, bus times and access notes
- NSW public holidays — Labour Day 2026
- NSW school holidays — spring 2026 dates
Details checked 18 September 2026. Prices and garden lists can change — confirm on the festival site before you book.
Magnolia Short Stay 
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