Moore Park Beach Arts Festival underway

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Moore Park Beach Arts Festival
There was a celebration of cultural diversity at Moore Park Beach Arts Festival feature Pacific Village celebrations.

The crowds at The Moore Park Beach Arts Festival were on cloud nine with perfect weather, an easy-going-and-relaxed atmosphere and creativity taking the community event to a new level.

The three-day event celebrates the beach-side community’s talent with an array of art, culture and diversity of stalls to keep the masses pleased and keen to stay for the day to relax in beautiful sunshine.

Moore Park Beach Arts Festival Committee President Jay Furnish said he expected a lot of families to enjoy the festivities.

He said the hard work and planning had paid off as the celebrations and entertainment got underway early Saturday morning.

“It’s a great free event for the whole of the Bundaberg Region to enjoy,” Jay said.

“You can’t go wrong with that and there is a lot of entertainment and arts – something for everyone.

“You can go as fast or slow as you want here, just enjoy the weekend!”

A celebration of art and community

Bundaberg Regional Council Community and Cultural Services portfolio spokeswoman Cr Judy Peters said the festival was a great way to celebrate Moore Park Beach and she was pleased to see the community gathering early Saturday morning to enjoy the remaining two days.

Moore Park Beach Arts Festival
Latai and Nia Fifita enjoying the sunshine at the Moore Park Beach Arts Festival

“Moore Park Beach Arts Festival is again, another opportunity to showcase the region, whether it’s the weather, the talent or the cultures of our region,” Cr Peters said.

“There is so much ability from members in our community who contribute in some form, from the Lions Clubs to the artist and performers, it’s all here today.

“As Ross Driver said last night the artwork on show here is of international quality and I agree with him wholeheartedly – the artwork has grown in number and in quality over the years.

“There are six big events on this weekend in the Bundaberg Region and you can see by the crowds here now at Moore Park Beach how supported this one is.”

Cooking up delicious food for the crowds

Moore Park Lions members are ready to ensure festival goers have a good time as they cook up a storm barbecuing delicious bacon and egg burgers.

Secretary Joan Walker and member Diane Collins were busy judging the handmade stalls and Joan said there was a collection of hidden talent not only in Moore Park Beach, but the wider Bundaberg Region.

Moore Park Beach Arts Festival
Moore Park Lions secretary Joan Walker and member Diane Collins enjoy judging the handmade craft at the Moore Park Beach Arts Festival, with artist Ray Sparks.

“Moore Park Lions contributed to the prizes in the art festival competition and now we are on the look out for the talented hand-crafted stalls,” Joan said.

“Moore Park Lions has supported the festival since it began 20 years ago, it’s an important event on our calendar and for the community.”

Everyone's involvement makes Moore Park Beach Arts Festival perfect

Artist Ray Sparks was busy gobbling down one of the Lions’ burgers as he spoke about the dedication from the Lions organisation.

“This is the best egg and bacon burger I have had in a long, long time,” Ray said.

“This group is amazing and so supportive, and we are all thankful for their support that makes sure events like this continue to take place year after year.”

Describing himself as a jack-of-all-trades, Ray’s stall was filled with large handcrafted pots and he entered several of his artworks into the art competition and secured first place in the graphite section for his artwork titled, Stockman.

Moore Park Beach Busy Bz owner Brett Clark said he had been baking since 11pm on Friday evening to make sure he had enough bread and rolls to help the Lions feed the crowd at the Moore Park Beach Arts Festival. Abby Clark was enjoying her time at the Kids and Co Moore Park Beach childcare stall.

Moore Park Beach Busy Bz owner Brett Clark said he had been baking since 11pm on Friday evening to make sure he had enough bread and rolls to help the Lions feed the crowd.

“I’ve just dropped off 500 more rolls to the Lions who do a fantastic job,” Brett said.

“My daughter saw some friends and we decided to stay a little while – there is so much to do here today, it’s just fantastic!

“There really is no better community then the Moore Park Beach community – but I am biased because I live here and love it!”

The festival continues today with Judah Kelly performing live from 6 pm and plenty more fun and entertainment tomorrow from 9 am to 3 pm.