Events Harvest Funding Via Community Grants
A family-friendly festival that draws thousands of people to Babinda is one of 18 recipients to share in almost $200,000 through the Community Partnerships Grant. Cairns Regional Council approved $25,000 to support the annual Babinda Harvest Festival, which will be held on 16 September 2023. The 59th annual festival is expected to bring more than 5000 residents and visitors together to celebrate and enjoy activities entertainment, arts, and culture. A tractor pull, vintage cars and farm equipment will be on display at Bill Wakeham Park, while the Grand Street Parade, market stalls, and entertainment breathe life into Munro Street. Local businesses also decorate their premises as they vie for the prestigious Cane Knife Awards. Mayor Bob Manning said the festival was a popular fixture in the city’s southern corridor. The Babinda Harvest Festival is a wonderful opportunity to bring everyone togetherto enjoy the community atmosphere. “Council is also proud to support the Great Pyramid Race for another year, bringing our total contribution to this iconic event to almost $140,000 for this event since 2016,” Cr Manning said. “In 2023, we have now provided $432,000 to 38 different community events, supporting a diverse range of sport, cultural and community groups that contribute to wellbeing in the region.” The Cairns Italian Festival Inc has also received $25,000 in support for the 2023 event, which starts at the end of next month. Now in its second year, the Festival was formed to celebrate the region’s rich Italian history and to provide an opportunity for the local Italian community to rethink how the Italian story is told in Cairns and the surrounding regions. This year, the Festival has been expanded to include the Innisfail Pasta and Sugo Festa and the Mareeba Moriconi-Bomben Football Cup. Held from 28 July to 6 August, a highlight of the Festival is La-Festa Food and Wine to be held at Fogarty Park on Saturday 29 July. Community Partnership Grant recipients include: Babinda Harvest Festival Inc. for the Babinda Harvest Festival on 16 September – $25,000 Cairns Italian Festival Inc. for Family Night and La Festa – Food & Wine on 29 July – $25,000 The Great Pyramid Race and Country Fair for The Great Pyramid Race on 5 August – $13,500 Edge Hill United Football Club for First Nations Football Day on 2 July – 2,858 North Queensland International Motor Raceway Association Incorporated for Thunder in the Canefields on 8 to 15 July – $8,850 Alliance Française de Cairns Inc for Bastille Day on 16 July – $1,000 Cairns Athletics Inc. for Coral Coast Athletics Competition on 29 to 30 July – $5,800 Cairns Hindu Samaj Inc. for Ganeshotsav on 30 September – $5,000 Cairns Judo Club Incorporated for 2023 Queensland State SAMBO Championships on 22 to 23 July – $2,300 Senjo Cairns Inc for the Queensland Knockdown on 29 July – $6,000 FNQ Volunteers Inc for VEXPO 2023 on 30 July – $4,700 Japanese Society of Cairns Inc. for Japan Bon Dance Festival 2023 on 12 August – $18,000 Endeavour Foundation for Great Endeavour Rally on 31 August to 10 September $2,700 UMI Arts Limited for Big Talk One Fire Festival on 16 September – $16,800 Cairns Multicultural Committee for Cairns CARMA Multicultural Festival on 23 September – $18,100 Gimuy Walubara Yindinji Elder Corporation for Gimuy Cultural Festival on 30 September – $21,300 Our Future Mentors Indigenous Corporation for Edor Carnival on 14 October – $14,000 Redlynch Valley Community Group Inc. for Redlynch Halloween Tunnel of Terror on 31 October – $2,108. Share the Post: Recent Posts Events Harvest Funding Via Community Grants High Tea – A Magical Success What’s on at Babinda Harvest Festival – 2019 Related Posts Join Our Newsletter
High Tea – A Magical Success
THE 2022 Babinda Harvest Festival High Tea was a raging success and an excellent opportunity to introduce the princesses to the public. As years go by, the High Tea keeps increasing in attendance. And in 2022, with an attendance of over 200 guests, the Harvest Queen entrants were introduced in the beautifully decorated RSL Hall by China and Lace Vintage Catering to fit the theme of Magical Wonderland. For the High Tea, there were all sorts of delicious treats supplied by volunteers, and the princesses showed their skills with baked cakes and slices for the participants to be enjoyed and then vote for their favourite. During the magical afternoon, guests enjoyed tea and delicious snacks in an almost fairytale-like environment and got to know their future Harvest Queen more in-depth. The princesses were required to make a speech, and the 2021 Harvest Festival Queen, Casey McCrae, asked questions to all the candidates so the community could get to know them better. It was a magical afternoon for all, and now we get closer and closer to the crowning of the 2022 Harvest Festival Queen. This year’s panel of judges with the challenging task of picking a Queen from the wonderful princesses are Donna Smith, Dani Kruckow and Monty Arnez. This year’s princesses are: Bethany Binks Kealy Ganly Lacey Thomsett Brooke Destro Roisin Stager Georgina Stone Selena Houghton The 2022 Harvest Festival Queen will be crowned on the festival’s main stage on October 8 at 4.50pm. A Magical tradition The 2022 Babinda Harvest Festival is back and better than ever with the theme Magical Wonderland. An iconic and traditional event that celebrates everything local, the Harvest Festival was first held in October of 1962; back then, it was known as the Babinda Sugar Harvest Festival and was presented by the Bellenden Kerr Junior Farmers. By 1987 it officially changed its name to Babinda Harvest Festival and although the Festival has gone through many changes and has seen many Queens, the essence of it stays the same, an event by the community, for the community. This year’s Magical Wonderland will see a collection of events for the whole family, with the main event happening on Saturday, October 8. On Saturday, October 8, attendants can enjoy anything from a fantastic range of food, a vintage machinery display, competitions (photography, Lego, painting, drawing, etc.), an orchid display, a competitive game of tug of war, best-dressed pets, and the unmissable crowning of the Babinda Harvest Festival Queen. There will be special activities for the kiddies, under 5s and for the 5+, from face painting, a petting zoo, inflatables, jumping castles, a climbing wall, laser tag, and so much more. So come along and support local businesses, local talents and local tradition this October. Entry costs $10, and kids under 18 have free access. Share the Post: Recent Posts Events Harvest Funding Via Community Grants High Tea – A Magical Success What’s on at Babinda Harvest Festival – 2019 Related Posts Join Our Newsletter
What’s on at Babinda Harvest Festival – 2019
Babinda’s main street was buzzing yesterday but the excitement will be nothing on what is expected today for the 2019 Babinda Harvest Festival. The Traders Day competition, which encourages Munro St businesses to dress up their shopfronts and staff to the theme flora and fauna, was won by Babinda Bakery. The popular food shop decorated its entrance with pieces of paperbark, a rainforest curtain, waterfall and wildlife while inside a recording of bellbirds song played. Owner Annette McAloon said the team took three months to craft the decorations. Down the road, Babinda Bargain Centre’s volunteers dressed themselves in floral hats, while the Babinda State Hotel’s Australia Zoo display impressed. A surprise entrant this year was Mirriwinni Post Office. Cairns Regional Council’s Brett Moller, one of three judges, said the harvest festival “galvanised everyone to come together and put on a growing community event”. “The can-do attitude of the Babinda town and community is a highlight for me,” he said. The festival gets under way today from 10am with the grand parade beginning at 3.30pm. There will be fireworks and live music all evening. Cairns Post staff reporter Alicia Nally was an honorary judge for Traders Day. “My first time as a Babinda Traders Day competition judge was a tough gig. If I could have given each business a prize, I would have. These people love their town, they’ve spent months getting ready for today’s festival and it would be a shame to miss it.” Share the Post: Recent Posts Events Harvest Funding Via Community Grants High Tea – A Magical Success What’s on at Babinda Harvest Festival – 2019 Related Posts Join Our Newsletter
