SUNDAY 25 MARCH 2012

PARADE OF NATIONS

Theme

The theme for Fraser Coast Cultural Festival 2012 is “celebration of community spirit” to honor the incredible efforts of the international community as they came together to support each other during the series of natural disasters in 2010 and 2011.

Parade Details

ONLY THREE LARGE FLAGS are used in the Parade of Nations: (the Australian Commonwealth flag, the Australian Aboriginal flag, and the Australian Torres Strait Islands flag.) These lead the parade.

All other large national flags – representing past and present festival performance groups – are hung in Scarness Park all weekend in a colourful display celebrating diversity and identity.

What you should bring

• Wear your traditional national costume or colours, or your performance group uniform where possible.
• Bring a small hand-held National flag to wave (either Australian or your own country of origin)
• Keep all banners and all regional flags at waist level or below. Do not wave these overhead!
• Musicians may play their drums, shakers, etc.
• A Fire and Rescue Service Truck will clear the parade path with flashing lights and a few siren blasts. Hervey Bay RSL Pipe Band will lead the Parade and the Air League Cadet Band will close the Parade.

Times

9.30 am - Participants assemble on the Esplanade (between Queen Road & Hervey Street). Each nation will be in alphabetical order (A – Z). Find your sign and line up behind it (6 people wide).

10.00 am – Parade of Nations begins. Walk in formation at a gentle pace east along Esplanade past Queen Road towards Cultural Stage 2. Turn left onto paved pathway, continue slowly thru festival stalls, then pass in front of Cultural Stage 1. Country signs will be collected by a volunteer. Stay together as a group near Stage 1.

10.30 am – Official Opening Ceremony with Mayor Mick Kruger. Time Canon fired.

10.45 am - Welcome to Country. Butchulla Aboriginal Dancers.

11.00 am – Continuous entertainment on 4 stages, plus international foods, arts, and crafts.

Bookings are essential. Phone 07 3225 4241

CLICK HERE to download an information sheet in relation to the launch and other events leading up to the festival.

The Fraser Coast Cultural Festival has received commitments from several exciting groups for the Festival on 25 March and also for the Gala Performance on Saturday 24 March.

The Festival has received applications from the Polish Group “Obertas”, which is an exciting performing group of Polish Folkdances. Baala Baajo African Drummers will entertain. The colourful and lively Colombian Dancers will again be present. We will have Bollywood Dancers, the German dancer from Alpenrosen, Alma de Tango as well as the very acomplished Baritone Chris Chamberlin who will be performing light classical songs. We also expect to have a large group of Danish Folkdancers as well as a colourful South Pacific Islander Group. Of course several local groups will be performing such as Nefertiti, The Fabulous Women’s Choir and local community groups like the Mauritian Dancers, Filipino dancers and we expect the Tai Community Dancers to join in as well. For the Band Stage we have “The Bobkatz”, ‘Slainte’ and several other local groups as well we expect to have “The Underskore Orchestra” from Oregon USA.

We have been in touch with several schools and a Japanese Taiko drumming group from Bundaberg will be performing amongst other musicians from our local schools.  The yearly attraction of the ‘Lion Pole Dancers’ is expected to entertain again with a spectacular new routine.  We are looking forward to entertain a large audience at both the Festival in the Park in Scarness as at the Gala performance at the Brolga We want to see you all there!!

The Festival Management has reformed with new blood and is working hard again towards a great event in 2012. Mara Giraudo has taken the president’s mantle and with the help of funding from Queensland Events and from the Regional Council we have a dedicated Events Coordinator in Melissa Duncan. This with the input from the president of the Scarness Action Group, Stuart Taylor, and the expert help from Toni Gutierrez as marketing manager we are working hard to raise enough sponsorship to make the Festival in 2012 a great success. Maria Rodrigo as Vice-President has been very busy with the fundraising activities. A number of exciting groups and artists representing many cultures from around the world have already been contacted to perform next year. Lola Kronemeyer has been busy organising the performers and we will again have several stages for Cultural Performances, a Children’s Stage and a Band Stage to entertain the visitors. Past president Hans Kronemeyer is again lending his support as secretary. Everyone believes in the objectives of the Festival and is passionate to see a successful event in 2012. All of this points to another event which will attract many visitors to the Fraser Coast at a low time for tourism. However all of this will only be a real success if the entire Community is behind the Festival. This is your Festival we need the support from Volunteers and local businesses to make this the great success it will be. We are looking for Corporate Memberships and local Associations to join us in the making of a great Event. One that can be the envy of the Region.