Whatever your passion — food, music, cars, comedy, balloons or Elvis — in 2005 there’s sure to be a festival to suit you. By Leigh Robshaw.
Parkes - Elvis Revival Festival The central western town of Parkes rocks its blue suede shoes off each January when the Elvis Revival Festival takes over, attracting an army of Elvis impersonators from around Australia.
It began in 1992 to celebrate Elvis’ birthday, January 8, and now attracts about 2000 visitors from around NSW and interstate. The 2005 festival is scheduled for January 7-9, with a weekend of festivities including look-a-like, sound-a-like and move-a-like competitions, talent quests, a contest to find the best Priscilla and a street parade that brings the whole town to a halt, followed by an outdoor concert and market stalls. There’s also a memorabilia display at the home of a local man, Elvis Lennox, who changed his name by deed poll and owns all manner of Elvis paraphernalia from telephones and clocks to authentic suits and, of course, blue suede shoes. The town’s shops dress up their windows and even the local priest is in on the action, sticking on fake sideburns and conducting an Elvis gospel church service.
The festival is held in various locations around Parkes, and CountryLink puts on a special Elvis Express Train service for those who don’t want to drive. An Elvis impersonator boards the train in Sydney and entertains passengers (who feast on Elvis-themed food like Viva Lasagne), train staff wear Elvis sunglasses and Hawaiian leis and passengers are met by local Elvis and Priscilla impersonators on arrival.
For details call 1800 624 365 or visit www.parkes.nsw.gov.au
The cars of today might be more technologically advanced than ever, but vehicles built in the 1950s were revolutionary in both their body design and engineering. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of one of that era’s most eccentric cars, the spaceship-like Citroën DS. You can see this and other vintage Citroëns up close on Australia Day 2005 at NRMA Motorfest, the southern hemisphere’s largest outdoor display of vehicles.
According to Craig Keller, vice-president of the Citroën Car Club of NSW, the Citroën 5CV was the first car to be driven around Australia, in 1925. Craig is organising a display of about 30 Citroëns for NRMA Motorfest, including what he believes is the oldest Citroën in Australia registered for normal use and still on the road, a 1957 Citroën DS.
NRMA Motorfest is an integral part of Sydney’s Australia Day celebrations. Last year more than 600,000 people turned up to see about 1000 classic, veteran and vintage cars in Sydney’s CBD. Next year marks the 20th anniversary of NRMA Motorfest and a huge celebration is planned.
Apart from a bevy of cool and crazy old cars, there will also be a Jazz Stage in Hyde Park, featuring top local and overseas musicians, a vintage bus fleet shuttling passengers around the city, an interactive mini-car display for kids, and NRMA Plaza, featuring cars that use fuels of the future.
NRMA Motorfest opens at 10am on January 26. Cars will line College Street from outside St Mary’s Cathedral and all along Macquarie Street up to Bridge Street. Call (02) 8222 2165 or visit www.mynrma.com.au for details.
You don’t have to be a country music fan to have a great time at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. But what you do need is a penchant for town-sized parties and a few days off in January.
The festival’s roots go back to the 1960s, when local radio station2TM had the idea of turning Tamworth into the Australian centre for country music by holding country music awards. The first Australasian Country Music awards were staged in 1973 and have now become part of a 10-day festival.
Real cowboys and cowgirls mingle with country music stars, mas and pas in matching checked shirts and hip young city slickers, all boot-scootin’ back and forth between dozens of venues around the town.
There’s no single main venue, so your festival experience could include a heart-warming John Williamson concert in the Town Hall, a raucous gig with cool country-rock band The Re-Mains at the City Tavern, a Dolly Parton tribute show at the Southgate Inn, a Paul Kelly concert in Bicentennial Park and a performance by Indian country and western singer Bobby Cash at the Leagues Club.
While the festival spreads its wings across the whole town, its main artery is arguably Peel Street, pumping day and night with buskers hoping to get discovered like Kasey Chambers, sell a few CDs or just fill their guitar cases with shrapnel from passers-by.
Accommodation is jam-packed, with some people booking up to a year in advance. Locals rent spare rooms, schools lease their grounds for coach companies to fill them with safari tents, the sports grounds beside the river become a temporary campground that accommodates over 5000 people and there’s even a train, the old Southern Aurora, that accommodates 180.
The 2005 Telstra Country Music Festival Tamworth will run January 14-23. For details call Tamworth Tourism on (02) 6755 4300 or visit www.countrymusic.asn.au/tamworth
Find out more about the romping, stomping non-stop music and fun at the Tamworth Country Music Festival
“Wicked music, sinful food, heavenly location.” The motto for the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival, held each Easter at Red Devil Park in Byron Bay, describes the vibe perfectly. None other than the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, appeared at last year’s festival, the 15th and most successful to date, with over 60,000 people getting down and funky at the southern hemisphere’s largest blues and roots event.
Apart from top international artists, there’s also a food fair, bars, market stalls, carnival rides, kids’ activities, street theatre and the sparkling Byron Bay beaches are just down the road when you need to cool off in the surf.
The 2005 festival is slated for March 24-28. You can camp on-site and there’s plenty of accommodation in town, but book early. Call (02) 6685 8310 or visit www.bluesfest.com.au for details.
More information on the Byron Bay - East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival
Witches and fairies mix with goblins and ghosts on the Saturday closest to the winter solstice in late June, when a cheerful atmosphere warms the chilly streets of Katoomba as thousands of people celebrate the traditional change of season, sometimes with the added magic of a snowfall.
The main street is closed to traffic and there’s a spectacular costume parade, market stalls, dance shows, live music, circus performers, community choirs, a busking competition, storytelling, fire twirling, fireworks and a food fair.
This community festival is a non-profit event and is organised by unpaid volunteers. Parking around the town is limited so organisers recommend taking public transport, with extra trains scheduled from Sydney for the day.
To confirm the date of the 2005 festival and for furtherinformation,visit www.wintermagic.com.au or call 1300 653 408.
Get the facts and travellers tips on the Winter mountain magic festival
The South Coast seaside town of Ulladulla is the biggest single supplier to the Sydney fish markets, so it was inevitable that a food and wine festival would evolve to take advantage of the area’s great produce.
The Ulladulla Festival of Food & Wine by the Sea began in 1994 and was one of the first festivals of its type in NSW. With Ulladulla’s harbour as its backdrop, the festival is a three-day gala of food and wine that attracts about 4000 visitors each year, eager to sample the best regional produce, local wines and restaurant fare.
The festival has traditionally been held in mid-August, however in 2005 it will be moved to October 28-30. The time change will allow a better range of regional produce to be available to participants and warmer weather for the new outdoor evening seafood buffet. Other new events will also feature at next year’s festival, such as additional cooking demonstrations and wine-tasting classes.
For details call (02) 4454 1916 or visit www.ulladulla.info/foodandwine
From humble beginnings as a four-day Rotary event in 1989, the Coffs Harbour Buskers Festival has grown into one of Australia’s biggest festivals of street performance, with the 2004 festival featuring 120 shows over nine days. The 2005 festival is scheduled for September 23-October 1 and about 20,000 people are expected to attend.
Scouts travel to festivals around the world to source the best buskers or street performers, although anyone can submit an application and go through the selection process. Highlights of this year’s event were The Silly People from Canada, plus The USA Breakdancers and Yo Yo Squared from the States.
The headlining act for 2005 is 3D pavement artist Julienne Beever, from Belgium, whose work simply has to be seen to be believed.
The festival is based in the city centre with events also at Sawtell, Coramba, Woolgoolga and Pacific Bay Resort.
For details call (02) 6652 8266 or visit www.coffsharbourbuskers.com
Canberra - Balloon Fiesta This is one of the most colourful events ever and the kids adore it. Scheduled for March 12-21, 2005, the fiesta aims to attract over 60 balloons from all over the world. They’re no ordinary party balloons, either — imagine an enormous hot-air balloon in the shape of Vincent Van Gogh’s head, inspired by his self-portrait! The Van Gogh balloon was one of this year’s highlights, along with the world’s biggest flying frog, imported for the fiesta from Holland.
The fiesta takes place on the lawns of Old Parliament House, with live entertainment, tethered balloon rides, vintage cars, balloon-making workshops and crafts markets. Have breakfast on the grass while you watch the balloons launch every morning at 7am, then sit back and enjoy the spectacle.
For details call 0438 709 545 or visit www.canberraballoonfiesta.com.au
The Woodford Folk Festival (below) is more than just Australia’s biggest folk festival, it’s a utopian village that comes alive in a valley near the Glasshouse Mountains about an hour-and-a-half north-west of Brisbane. Last year was Woodford’s 10th anniversary, with more than 100,000 attending from Australia and overseas.
The diverse program includes over 2000 performers and 400 events, from December 27-January 1. Large concerts and intimate gigs, dance performances, workshops, debates, street theatre, circus acts, writers’ panels, a film festival, comedy, acoustic jams, indigenous performers, a children’s festival, art and craft workshops, late-night cabarets and drumming jams keep punters entertained day and night.
For information, call the Queensland
Folk Federation on (07) 5496 1066 or visit www.woodfordfolkfestival.com
WOMADelaide is one of Australia’s most popular and unique music festivals. Each year it brings over 400 artists from all around the world to Adelaide’s Botanic Park for a huge three-day extravagznza.
WOMAD stands for ‘world of music arts and dance’, a concept founded in 1982 by musician Peter Gabriel, and WOMAD festivals bring a dazzling diversity of talent to a surprisingly broad audience. WOMADelaide is now an event of national significance and attracts thousands of music fans from around the country.
A Global Village of international food, arts, crafts, educational, cultural and community displays helps make the festival experience all the more enriching. Next year’s festival runs from March 4-6 and is expected to be as popular as ever.
For details call (08) 8271 1488 or visit www.womadelaide.com.au
The UWA Perth International Arts Festival (above) is the oldest annual international festival of the arts in the southern hemisphere, established in 1953, and it attracts around 300,000 people.
Some of the world’s most celebrated artists peform theatre, music, film, visual arts, street arts, literature and comedy.
The next festival is February 11-March 6 2005. Within the program, Writers’ Week will run February 17–23, and Lotterywest Festival Films screen November 29, 2004-March 20, 2005.
For information call (08) 6488 2000 or visit www.perthfestival.com.au
Hobart’s humungous summer festival starts with The Taste, Australia’s largest food and beverage event, celebrating the island state’s renowned food and wine over seven delicious days.
Also part of the Hobart Summer Festival is the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, a buskers’ festival, a Tasmanian film festival and free family concerts.
Hobart Summer Festival is scheduled for 27 December 2004-9 January 2005.
For information call (03) 6238 2100 or visit www.hobartcity.com.au
The Garma Festival (below) is Australia’s biggest annual indigenous cultural event, initiated by the Yothu Yindi Foundation.
Held each year at the spiritually significant bush site of Gulkula, it attracts around 700 non-indigenous visitors and about 800 Yolngu and other indigenous people.
In addition to ceremonial performances, Garma also showcases artists of the region, women’s cultural practices, interpretive walks, music, dance and sports.
As the festival is held on Aboriginal land, non-indigenous visitors need a permit, which varies in price from about $700 for students up to $1800 for an eco-tourism package. The fee includes camping gear, food and an educational forum.
The 2005 Garma Festival will be held on August 5-8 and sells out early. Call the Yothu Yindi Foundation on (08) 8941 2900 or visit www.garma.telstra.com
The Victorian capital goes bananas in April, when the Melbourne International Comedy Festival comes to town. From its birth in 1987, it has grown into one of the world’s largest and best-value comedy festivals, with over 2000 artists offering performances for less than $20.
More than 300,000 people attended this year’s festival, enjoying a wide range of events including theatre, stand-up, visual art exhibitions, a comedy film festival and kids’ performances.
Some of the famous artists who have appeared at past festivals include Wil Anderson, Judith Lucy, Rove McManus, Henry Rollins, Jimeoin, Eddie Izzard, Bob Downe, Steven Wright and Bill Bailey. Next year’s festival will run March 24-April 17 at various venues in Melbourne.
For information call (03) 9417 7711 or visit www.comedyfestival.com.au
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