Sydney’s Most Joyful Build-A-City Adventure Returns
City of Wonder: Wildflower Edition Blooms at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
Sydney, Australia: This summer, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney will come alive with creativity, colour and connection as City of Wonder: Wildflower Edition opens its doors to kids (and kids at heart) from 19 December 2025 to 31 January 2026.
Following its sell-out season at the Sydney Opera House, the hit immersive event, created by Australian experiential brand Kidwonder, invites families to step inside a vibrant, ever-evolving cityscape built entirely by kids. Using 75,000 100% recycled-plastic planks, children become architects, dreamers, and problem-solvers, transforming imagination into awe-inspiring structures that rise, wobble, and joyfully tumble.
Blending art, play, sustainability and STEM, City of Wonder: Wildflower Edition is a fun, screen-free event featuring self-guided building challenges, wildflower meadow installations, and creative stations where kids can explore, experiment and connect with nature up close.
Acclaimed international artist Raffaele Salvoldi sits at the center of the experience. Known for his monumental installations across the globe, he returns to Sydney for City of Wonder: Wildflower Edition to help shape the ever-changing cityscape. He will also lead a limited series of small-group VIP Artist Experiences, giving children and parents the rare chance to build and create alongside him.
Also available are daily Wonder Workshops. Small-group, hands-on sessions guided by Kidwonder’s expert Chaos Coordinators, where young builders learn stacking, balancing, and design techniques before taking their new skills into the main experience.
At City of Wonder: Wildflower Edition, families can:
– Take on playful, self-guided building challenges, including a custom-built Ticket Vending Machine that dishes out fun, surprising challenges.
– Explore wildflower meadow installations and help “grow” the garden by adding your own flower, created by writing your name on a sticker and placing it on a stem. You can plant your own plant too, something with lilly pilly resilience perhaps or something else entirely.
– Get creative at colour and craft tables featuring butterfly colouring and origami butterfly-making stations. Simple, beautiful crafts that can be added into the cityscape.
– Embark on a Stamp Challenge Trail running throughout the space, and collect new stamps as you complete experiences.
– Try their luck at the Lucky Plank Claw Machine!
– Keep an eye on the WonderLab “sushi train” as it sends out fresh planks and surprise challenge cards for you to complete.
– Discover “How We Make Wonder Planks”, a mini educational moment revealing how waste plastic is recycled and transformed into creative play materials.
– Join Wonder Workshops led by Kidwonder’s expert facilitators.
– Capture unforgettable memories in a world built by imagination.
“City of Wonder is a hands-on reminder that small actions like recycling, collaborating, and creating together can grow into something extraordinary,” said Mark Taylor, Kidwonder Founder. “It’s a celebration of what happens when creativity, sustainability, and childhood wonder collide.”
Perfect for kids aged 3+, City of Wonder: Wildflower Edition is set to be one of Sydney’s most joyful and educational summer experiences, an immersive content-rich adventure the whole family will love.
Event Details:
Venue: The Garden Gallery, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
Dates: 19 December 2025 – 31 January 2026 (closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day)
Times: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (last session at 3:00 p.m.)
Tickets: From $25 per person plus booking fees (family bundles and workshop upgrades available)
Bookings: www.cityofwonder.com.au
Sessions:
General Admission: sessions run throughout the day, offering 60+ minutes of creative, self-guided play in the City of Wonder: Wildflower Edition.
Wonder Workshops: a 45-minute workshop with the brilliant Chaos Coordinators at 10:30 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. daily, including a guided small-group build and General Admission access (about 90 minutes total).
VIP Artist Experience: A rare learn-and-create experience held once daily at 12:00 p.m., where families can build side by side with international artist Raffaele Salvoldi. Strictly limited to just 20 participants per day which also includes General Admission (about 90 mins in total).
Sydney Unleashed is one of Australia’s premier entertainment publications exploring the latest in lifestyle trends. From Sydney’s finest restaurants, cafes and bars to the hottest in gadgets, products, and home entertainment, Sydney Unleashed is your one-stop lifestyle platform.