Tag Archives: Warrandyte Festival 2018

WARRANDYTE Festival organisers are pleased to announce that canoeing is back!

One of the keys in keeping a long-term community event like the festival in the ‘much loved’ category is to balance the mix of entertainment.

Canoeing on the Yarra was once a popular festival activity that began as early as 1979.

It delighted festival goers for many years, but was phased out of the programme due to insurance difficulties.

This year, Canoeing Victoria’s PaddleHub will provide easy to paddle, sit-on-top kayaks and qualified coaches and instructors over the weekend.

Offering supervised family fun on the water for all ages, PaddleHub will run hourly from 10:30am–3pm on both Saturday and Sunday. (Charges apply.)

Roving Entertainment

New this year at the festival, Manningham Council presents Polyglot Theatre’s Ants.

Polyglot Theatre is Australia’s leading creator of interactive and participatory theatre for children and families.

Ants is an interactive roving performance which has giant Ants bringing children together in a gentle and unusual landscaping project.

The creatures are half ant/half human, patrolling nooks and crannies in search of food, collecting objects and making friends.

You can see the Ants throughout the day near the Manningham Council tent, help them with their crumbs and make your own Ant antennae!

Film Feast

Warrandyte Festival and Striking Productions have combined to present another riverside staging of short films.

Live music and food will be available at Warrandyte Film Feast from 6pm on Friday March 16 at the Lounge on the Lower Riverbank.

Screening starts at 8pm. Opening film Children of Ignorance — written, produced and directed by volunteer Film Feast co-organiser Rosalie Ridler of Striking Productions — tells the story of an end of year work party.

There’s a lot going on: eating, drunken therapy, gossip and speculation over ‘Dave’s new mail order bride’ – not to mention a catastrophic event.

Starring a talented cast and crew, the story tackles racial profiling, sexism and prejudice in society.

Also included in this year’s eclectic mix, are two shorts written and directed by local filmmaker Ryan de Rooy.

Simon is a tragic story about a young, socially isolated boy who ventures to his local pub to have a drink with his best and only friend, Chris, but as the night dwindles, conflict arises, changing their lives forever.

In music video Dragon Blood, a bride, believing the spark in her relationship has perished, leaves a clue for her husband in the form of a cocktail umbrella, with hopes he will follow its path and reignite the spark.

Written and directed with his distinct brand of black humour, award-winning filmmaker Matt Miram’s Deep Sea Fishing demonstrates how, in the dating world, some people are just using the wrong bait!

People’s Choice prizes (sponsored by Palace Cinemas and local Internet experts Australia Online) will be awarded on the night.

Please note: none of the films to be exhibited have been classified in accordance with the Australian Classification Board. Content is varied, uncensored and may offend some viewers.

Generally, the films shown earlier in the first part of the event have family friendly content and are less likely to cause offence.

Tickets cost $15 and go on sale from February 1 until sold out. Contact www.trybooking.com/TPDU or visit TryBooking and search for ‘Warrandyte Festival’.

Art Show

Always popular, the 34th Warrandyte/Donvale Rotary Art Show hosts its gala champagne opening on Friday evening.

Festivities take place at the Warrandyte Community Church on Friday March 16 from 7pm–10pm.

A ticket costs $20 and includes supper and refreshments The Art Show Gala launches a weekend-long exhibition of artwork by local and interstate artists.

Weekend viewing of the Art Show extends from 9am–8:30pm Saturday and 10am–4pm on Sunday.

Grand Parade

Warrandyte Festival will be held over the weekend March 16–18.

The theme for 2018 is “Streets of our Town”.

Capturing everyone’s imagination on Saturday is the Grand Parade, with its costumed ensemble of schools, kindergartens, community and sporting groups gathered on Yarra Street to start the colourful walk to Stiggants Reserve.

On Saturday March 17 2018, Ringwood-Warrandyte Road/Yarra Street, (between Falconer Road and Harris Gully Road roundabout) will be closed to traffic from 10:30am until 12pm.

The parade kicks off at 11am. As usual, craft and produce market stalls will offer home grown, home sewn and home made goods.

Program

A full festival program and rundown of events will feature in the March edition of the Diary.

For general information, go to www.warrandytefestival.org

Scouts waterslide, kids’ market, the Grand Read. Battle of the Bands, billycarts… and canoeing!

Two stages.

Great music.

Be sure you get along to the festival that has it all.