There will be plenty of festival favourites as well as a few new things when the 2019 Goodna Jacaranda Festival is held Friday to Sunday.
The festival at Evan Marginson Park opens at 4pm on 25 October and runs to Sunday 27 October as a celebration of the region’s diversity and lifestyle.
Festival president Mathew Taylor said all was set for a great family-friendly event.
“This year we will see all of the festival favourites return such as live music, talent shows, pop-up bars, food trucks, sideshow alley and a huge fireworks display,” he said.
“In addition to this year’s program, there will be a Battle of the Bands showcase where local musicians compete to be crowned the winner as well as a significant increase in the variety of market stalls.
“There will also be a refreshed layout to allow for future growth and sustainability of the event with the festival now charging a small entry fee of $2.50 per adult to contribute to the increased cost of activities and infrastructure.”
A full program and other event information is available here.
Five reasons not to miss this year’s festival
1. Delicious food that’s sure to delight
With a wide variety of food vendors booked, there is sure to be a tasty treat with your name on it. You might even want to visit all three days so you can try it all!
Among the offerings will be Ex-Yu BBQ and Burek offering iconic dishes from the Balkans that date back to the Ottoman period and Brat Haus with nine different flavours of authentic foot-long German sausages served on a freshly baked roll.
If that’s not your go, give American style burgers a try or relax with fruit and herbal flavoured teas from Outback Spirit Iced Tea. There will also be pancakes, churros, woodfired pizza, ice cream and much more.
2. All the thrills of Sideshow Alley
Ride your favourite or ride them all – whatever you do in sideshow alley it’s sure to be thrilling.
This year’s line-up of rides includes water balls, the Avalanche, dodgems, Flashdance, rock climbing wall, train, giant slide, jumping castle, giant inflatable worm and more.
Coupons are required for rides and will be sold on site at the following prices:
- Single coupons – $2 each
- Pack of 18 coupons – $30
- Pack of 40 coupons – $60
- Pack of 70 coupons – $99
3. Three days of on-stage entertainment
The on-stage entertainment runs across all three days of the festival, kicking off at 4pm on Friday, 25 October.
Check out some of the region’s best young talents in the Quest for Talent finals on Friday. On Saturday, the school band and school choir competitions take centre stage as well as the Battle of the Bands.
On Sunday, live music will be played throughout the day with a festival-first from 11am to 2pm in the Jacaranda Dance Spectacular which will bring dancers from across the region together to wow the crowd with their amazing talents.
4. There’s plenty to keep the kids occupied
Young children aged two to 12 years will be in their element in this year’s Kids Corner. It’s guaranteed to delight with an animal petting farm, pony rides and workshops.
The animal petting farm will have adorable baby animals for the little ones (and animal lovers) to pet and hand feed.
Workshops and shows will be held across the three days. Workshops will include: dance, tumbling and circus skills.
5. You can dunk a community champion
Dunk for Donations is back for 2019. It’s your chance across the festival weekend to dunk a community champion.
Local community groups and not-for-profit organisations will be raising money by putting their own people up for a dunking.
Organisations who will be taking part this year include Goodna Youth Services, Riverview Community Centre, Headspace Ipswich, Goodna Special School P and C and Gailes Community House.
