Friday 1 October 2010

Beechworth gets set for annual Celtic knees-up Celtic Festival returns Friday 5 to Sunday 7 November

One of Beechworth’s biggest annual celebrations returns soon with a packed weekend program of free and ticketed events including traditional and contemporary Celtic music, dance, workshops and fun for all ages.
In its sixteenth year in 2010 the Celtic Festival looks set to repeat the success of 2009 when thousands of visitors enjoyed a sensational line-up of entertainment from around Australia. This year’s program – from Friday 5 to Sunday 7 November - will again showcase a host of bands and artists in a series of concerts and workshops at indoor and outdoor venues around Beechworth.

They include: the acclaimed Australian Welsh Choir, Sibin, Red Cat, Damien Howard & the Ploughboys, Claymore, Full Circle and Humbug bringing edginess to the ever-popular Bantree and the traditional Scottish pipes. The Colonials, Cassidy's Ceili, Ricketty Bridge, Shirley Power and many more show the depth of the program available for serious Celtic music aficionados across the weekend.
The festival kicks off in true Celtic style on Friday evening with a gala dinner dance featuring a fantastic evening of live entertainment and the highlight, a traditional Haggis Ceremony. Bookings are a must for this event, via the festival website or the Beechworth Information Centre.

On Sunday 7 November Beechworth’s Burke Museum is also getting into the spirit of this year’s occasion with a Wake for its namesake, Irishman, Robert O’Hara Burke, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Burke & Wills expedition and the ill-fated explorer’s connections with Beechworth. The Museum will also unveil a next exhibition dedicated to Burke.

Other highlights from this year’s event include:
• The free Ford Street stage showcasing choirs dancers and a host of entertainers throughout the weekend
• On Saturday, the huge Celtic market in the Historic & Cultural Precinct, Ford Street and the Rotary Market in Queen Victoria Park
• Workshops with leading artists
• The ever-popular lunchtime Parade from 1:30pm Saturday and the spine-tingling balcony pipers at 7.30pm heralding the Massed Bands and Parade at 7:45pm

New committee saddles up for 2011 Golden Horseshoes Festival

Beechworth’s huge annual Easter celebration, the Golden Horseshoes Festival, will return bigger than ever in 2011 with a new organising committee led by the Beechworth Football and Netball Club (BFNC) driving the three-day program.

President, Adam Fendyk, said the Club’s new role places the festival, Beechworth’s biggest annual event which annually draws crowds of up to 20,000, on a secure footing for the future.

He confirmed the program would again include elements of both historical and cultural significance to the town as well as some new events to suit all tastes and ages.

“We see this as a great opportunity to not only to celebrate the Golden Horseshoes Festival but to use it as a platform from which we can promote Beechworth and more broadly, the whole of Indigo Shire which offers such a fantastic diversity of festivals and events,” Adam Fendyk said today. “This is a way for the BFNC to give back to the town. The businesses and community of Beechworth have been passionate supporters of the Club over many years and we see this as an event that brings benefits to everyone.”

The 2011 program will include the festival favourites including the Carnival in the Police Paddocks, the huge Grand Parade on Easter Saturday, markets, Fun Run and the Easter Egg Hunt with the Easter Bunny on Sunday. The Committee also has an in-principle agreement from the Chain Gang Bike Club for a new family bike ride event on Easter Sunday. Bands and colourful street performers and more street stalls in the popular Camp Street food court will also be a highlight of the Gold Horseshoes celebrations.

Mr Fendyk said the committee was also investigating hosting Saturday evening family events including a fireworks spectacular in Baarmutha Park on Easter Saturday evening.

“The BFNC are genuinely excited about this event and can’t wait to get the show going. With the increased manpower from the football club, we have been lucky to have some of the past GHF committee come on board to share their skills and experience with us to ensure the smooth running of the celebrations”, he said.