Biggest Street Festival In Years

Cowra Tourism Corporation Manager Kurt Overzet says this Friday’s Cowra Christmas Festival is shaping up to be one of the biggest ever, with the festival returning to Cowra’s main street for the first time in three years.

Last year’s event was a significantly down sized version at Sid Kallas Oval, due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time, but with nothing holding it back this year, it is set to be as big as it’s ever been.

Singer Mahalia Barnes, the daughter of Aussie music legend Jimmy Barnes, will light up the main stage as the entertainment for the night, while famed rugby league radio presenter Anthony Maroon will join rugby league legend Paul Gallen as the special guest MC’s. The festival itself will feature 76 stalls that will line up Kendal Street between Macquarie Street and Brisbane Street, with ‘Eat Street’, where the food stalls will be, returning to Macquarie Street near Coles as well.

The night will also feature the Cowra Christmas Shop raffle draw, an initiative of the Cowra Business Chamber, where shoppers at participating local businesses gain entries to the draw by spending money at those businesses. Many local stores on Kendal Street are also expected to open for late night shopping. Mr Overset said it was exciting to see the festival return to its usual format for the first time in three years.

“Local people have been doing it tough with the floods lately, so it’s great to be able to stage a big festival again and hopefully get people’s spirits up,” he said.

Mr Overset said local stall holders were offered a 50% discount on their stall fees as an incentive to set up at the festival, and an incentive for attendees to support local retailers.

He said it was great for the three celebrity guests, who are being funded by a state government grant, to be willing to come to Cowra to boost the profile of the festival.

“Anthony Maroon has been here before, and he was great in linking us with Pall Gallen this year too,” he said. The festival will run from 6pm to 9pm this Friday night.

• Topics:
• Festivals
• Tourism
• Living and Lifestyle
• Christmas