Entertainment
30 April, 2026
Festival to meet Great WBR runners
THERE will be plenty of options for celebrations post-Great Wheelbarrow Race this year, with the Chillagoe Festival now being moved to coincide with the end of the big race.
Run by local progress association, the Chillagoe Alliance, the small festival has been held over the Cairns Show weekend for about 25 years. But in a bid to bolster attendance, the committee has decided to move the festival to coincide with the end of the Great Wheelbarrow Race on 10 May (also Mother’s Day).
“All went well for years, but the past couple, like many other festivals, have seen substantially decreased crowds to the point that we were not making enough to cover insurance, musicians fees, road closure fees, and hall hire,” Chillagoe Alliance president John Nethery said.
“We infer several reasons for this decline – generally tighter economic conditions and quite cool evenings in July.
“We have therefore arranged to coordinate and mesh with the Great Wheelbarrow Race finish, with an early street parade prior to the arrival of the first race participants and an afternoon of music and bush poetry.”
The festival will kick off on Sunday 10 May with markets in the town hall garden from 8am, followed by a street parade at 8.30am. Local food stalls will be running all day, with a bar opening at 10am.
As the festivities head into the afternoon, local singers will take to the stage for some live music. There will also be segments of bush poetry. Festival organisers are encouraging bush poets to attend and are welcoming walk-ups on the day.
A special attendee at the event will be the great Becci Nethery – a Chillagoe local and singer-songwriter now living in Sydney. Becci will be the event’s MC and special guest artist during the live performances.
Other local artists include Brendan Wright, Justine Ross, Miss Eloise, Yune Burdell, and Idris and Alteouise.
John said the Alliance hosted the Chillagoe Festival for the enjoyment of the town, but it also depended on the small profit it made to fund the upkeep of other attractions, such as the old courthouse museum and the renovation of the abandoned historic railway station.
“We are hoping that the schedule will encourage a proportion of the circa 500 race participants and backup crews to stay on for at least a couple of hours after their presentation ceremony finishes,” he said.
