The 3rd annual Rockin’ Maryborough Vintage Festival will be happening again in Maryborough, Queensland from 15th – 17th September! A new committee has been formed to celebrate this iconic era with all the vintage loving fans out there! Set against the historical backdrop of the Maryborough Town Hall, Adelaide and Ellena streets will be jam packed with exciting events for everyone to come along and enjoy! The weekend programme will feature events and activities that celebrate everything retro and vintage, from the 1940’s through to the 1960’s.
To kick off the festival, there will be a Happy Days themed vintage ball in the Maryborough Town Hall on Friday 15th September, starting at 7:30pm. Guests will be entertained by Sunshine Coast favourites “Darlin’ and the Midnight Delights”, with a playlist covering some of the most popular songs from the doo-wop, rock and roll, and girl group wave hits. There will also be a light supper, refreshments from a fully licensed bar and the opportunity to have your photo taken dressed up in your vintage best. Tickets are $35 each and can be purchase from https://www.rockinmaryborough.com.au/ or the Rockin’ Maryborough Vintage Festival Facebook page.
Saturday 16th September will be a fun filled day of events and activities guaranteed to keep the whole family entertained. The morning will commence with the judging of the inaugural mini hot rod competition. This is an exciting opportunity to showcase the engineering and construction skills of our local primary school students – who have been challenged to build their own mini hot rod. Their creations will be on show in front of the Maryborough Town Hall throughout the festival.
Saturday also sees the judging of the first two Pin-up groups: “Miss Teen Rockin’ Maryborough 2017 will be held in Adelaide Street at 11:00am for entrants between 13 and 17 years of age. This category is a fantastic opportunity for young ladies to develop their style while having fun and making new friends. Everyone is invited to join us as we crown “Miss Teen Rockin’ Maryborough 2017” and “Miss Teen Rockin’ Maryborough Runner Up”
Following on from the judging of the junior entrants, the Miss Rockin Maryborough 2017 finals will commence in the Town Hall at 1:00pm. Three lucky ladies will be crowned “Miss Rockin’ Maryborough 2017”, “Miss Rockin’ Maryborough Runner Up” and “Miss Congeniality 2017”. For anyone with an interest in Rockabilly, the pinup competitions are a great way to show off their own personal pinup look, to make new friends and gain confidence.
If you fancy a bit of retail therapy during the festival, in addition to the wide range of goods available from our local stores, there will be vintage themed market stalls. A variety of food vendors will also be on hand to keep you fed and watered while you walk around the town admiring the vintage cars, caravans and bikes that will line the streets of the festival.
The rockabilly dance party will see the Maryborough Town Hall filled with the sounds of Americana roots and hillbilly blues courtesy of Brisbane favourites: The Haymakers. Starting at 7pm, groovers and shakers will be able to take to the dance floor and shake a tail feather as they dance the night away Tickets are available online, or on the night for $25.
The festival concludes on Sunday 17th September, with an action packed morning kicked off with the Little Master and Little Miss Pinup competition, at 10am. This is the chance for our youngest pin-ups to strut the catwalk and show off their cute little vintage inspired outfits for the crowd and the judges. Who will be crowned the inaugural Little Master Rockin’ Maryborough (boy) and Little Miss Rockin’ Maryborough (girl)?
Following the final pin-up parade, our four legged friends get the opportunity to strut their stuff in the Pooch parade from 11am. Is your best friend the cutest pooch in town? Do they have an impressive repertoire of tricks to take out a prize? Or perhaps the two of you are just out to wow the audience with the best dressed owner and dog … whichever class you enter, this is guaranteed to be entertaining!
So clear your schedule, brush off your blue suede shoes and check out the Rockin’ Maryborough Vintage Festival this September – you won’t be disappointed!
– Written by Camilla Perry
