Photo gallery: 2023 Wistaria Festival at Parramatta Park

Purple reigned at Parramatta for the Wistaria Festival where the cascading lilac vines left hundreds bewitched on a scorching spring day. See our gallery here.

Sandy Tran with her daughters Clarissa Choy, 6, and Sophia Choy, 3, at the Wistaria Gardens in Parramatta Park.

The magnificent sight of wisteria en masse ensured hundreds of visitors to Parramatta Park were impressed with the arresting beauty of the hanging floral display for the first day of the Wistaria Festival.

The Wistaria Gardens were also ablaze with cherry, almond and peach blossoms, along with beds full of pansies, violas, primulas and towering trees with their canopies providing plenty of shade as the mercury soared beyond 30 degrees.

It is the second year the festival has returned since the gardens officially became a part of Parramatta Park in July last year.

Greater Sydney Parklands has since undertaken significant horticultural work to

improve the conditions including planting more than 1000 new annuals, perennials and spring bulbs.

Built in 1906, the Wistaria Gardens were the personal gardens of the Parramatta Lunatic Asylum medical superintendent Dr William Cotter Williamson and were cared for by the patients as part of their treatment.

The festival continues on Sunday and September 23-24.

Here is an array of photos capturing the fun of the festival’s first day.

Monica, Marvie and Anna Attia of North Ryde.

Sesh Komonen and Vivian Truong of Regents Park.

Ryan and Cindy Diel of Sydenham.

The Kare and Mullangi families of Westmead and Glenwood enjoy a picnic.

Ryan Holmes of Abbotsbury and Paula Pena of West Ryde.

Serena Lee and Daniel Wong of Burwood.

Sharon and Paulie Philippa of Shellharbour, and Dette Northey of Bathurst.

Lorans Aelasha and Marianna Sawa of Fairfield.

Krishma Shrestha, and Raj and Rami Balami of Westmead.

Dylan Dos Santos and Elizabeth Holden of North Parramatta.

Michelle Sinclair and Troy Egglestone with their daughters Rosie, 3, and Izzy, 5, of Northmead.

Sarah Tillman with her daughter Savannah Walshaw of Jordan Springs.

Kerrie with Braxton, Tahlarra and Matilda.

Kevin McKenzie and Veronica Plummer of Rhodes pause for coffee at the festival.

Thanh Ha, Sara Pham, Phuong Do, Jennifer Hoffman and Cam Nguyen add even more colour to the festival.

Steven Wurr of Annandale and Amanda Stevens of Parramatta with french bulldog Charlie.

Linda Stevens of Parramatta and her dog Ziggy.

Gareth and Leonie Dyer with their children Menzies and Florence of Holroyd.

Claudia Wang, Sienna Sauvao and Lisa Ney of Merrylands.

Nita and Vruta Chotalia with Saesha, 2, of Westmead.

The gardens are more than 100 years old.

Instagram went into overdrive thanks to the captivating beauty of the Wistaria Gardens.

Just one of the hanging displays at the breathtaking gardens.