Gladstone Harbour Festival 2023





6th April - 9th April

Operating the Festival car park since 1994 is the State Emergency Service. All you need is a gold coin and the friendly faces of the SES will direct you safely to the next available car park!
The Gladstone Harbour Festival committee would like to thank the SES for their commitment and dedication in supporting our local community festival.
Welcome to Gladstone’s favourite Easter event, 2023 is the 61st Gladstone Harbour Festival (1963 – 2023). Since its inception this community festival has celebrated the Harbour and Deepwater port that has become the economic strength of our city’s growth. The festival celebrates everything that makes our region a great place to live, work, play and stay.
A FREE community festival would not be possible without the commitment and generous funding from all our Sponsors and supporters, that assists in the staging and production of this amazing festival.
The Gladstone Ports Corporation and Gladstone Regional Council are recognised for their continued commitment to this iconic annual community festival. You will see logos of these generous community minded Sponsors listed in the program, as well as our website, Facebook posts and nightly on the big screens at the GPC Marina festival site.
As an independent, Not for Profit incorporated association our small team of two part time staff, together with our committee and a band of community minded volunteers work tirelessly throughout the year to raise funds so that the Harbour Festival can be filled with activities, street entertainers, arts and crafts, live main stage entertainers and much more. The Harbour Festival will see our city come alive once again with a diverse and accessible program for FREE, designed for all ages and backgrounds to enjoy.
I hope you find much joy in this year’s festival to share with family, friends and to make new connections with others over the Easter weekend.
If you are a visitor to our region, we encourage you to make sometime to explore the Harbour City and the many natural attractions this beautiful region has to offer
We look forward to seeing you at the GPC Marina Parklands to enjoy the 61st Harbour Festival Celebrations.
Have a happy, memorable, and safe Easter.
Raymond Lewis Volunteer Presidentcar parking
ses gold coin entry required
donation hub
Face Painting
Kids Zone Buskers Station
to bridge & city
food court
AUCKLAND CREEK main stage
The Gladstone Ports Corporation Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race is considered by the yachting fraternity and the general public to be one of Australia’s flagship ocean yacht races. The Race is an icon of Queensland and the highest profile Easter Weekend sporting event, setting sail from Moreton Bay on Good Friday annually. From the start, yachts proceed via a mark off Redcliffe Point to the North West Channel up to Caloundra and through to Gladstone, a distance of approximately 308 nautical miles.
Entrants will gather from across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania as well as from overseas. They compete for the Courier Mail Cup, one of the oldest perpetual trophies in Australia that has been competed for on a continual basis.
The Race is steeped in history and tradition with the first ever Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race held during Easter 1949. That race saw seven vessels start, two of which carried radios while Brisbane’s Homing Pigeon Club supplied pigeons to the others for position reporting. Each yacht issued with birds was to release two each day.
The first person to finish the race was Doug Perrins on the bow of Hoana. Having sailed through strong winds and heavy seas, Hoana finished with an elapsed time of 47hrs 08min 25sec, a very creditable time which stood until 1955.
In 2009 the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race was voted as one of the icons of Queensland.
In 2008 QCYC was the winner of the Queensland Tourism Award in the Festival and Events Category.
In 2001 the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race was selected as one of the platforms for the Centenary of Federation celebrations and a Centenary of Federation perpetual trophy is awarded to the winning team each year.
Rupert Murdoch won the race (line honors) twice in 1964 and 1965 and held the race record for twelve years from 1964 to 1976.
The Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race has weathered worse storms than the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race with Cyclone Emily causing havoc in 1972 as winds reached up to 96 knots. There were no casualties but only five of the 25 race starters finished the race that year. The race maintains an exemplary safety record.
Gladstone Ports Corporation’s Marina Main Stage
6.00pm
7.55pm (approx)
6.00pm - 10.30pm
Featuring CoComelon, Gabby’s Dollhouse and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
GPC’s Spectacular Fireworks Display
GECC’s Food Court
Tasty Food Court treats & live music
Around the Festival
6.00pm - 10.30pm
6.00pm - 10.30pm
Festival Mardi Gras - Rides, Fun & Sideshow Alley
Bendigo Bank’s Kids Zone - Chill Out Area
Shell’s QGC business is one of Australia’s leading natural gas producers, supplying to the Australian domestic market and for LNG export via our liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant on Curtis Island.
Our team lives, works and plays in Gladstone. We are proud to be part of an iconic event that celebrates the community and the natural assets in our backyard.
Gladstone Ports Corporation’s Marina Main Stage
From 7.00pm
Elvis Leaves His Mark Plus Live Entertainment from local band 7 Whales in Moscow
GECC’s Food Court
Tasty Food Court treats & live music 10.00am - 10.30pm
Around the Festival
8.00am - 4.00pm
9.00am - 11.00am
10.00am - 10.30pm
WICET’s Marina Markets
Smit Lamnalco’s Great Raft Regatta
Festival Mardi Gras - Rides, Fun & Sideshow Alley and Roving Entertainers
10.00am - 2.00pm Kids Zone brought to you by Bendigo Bank
11.00am - 2.00pm Golding’s Face Painting
Gladstone Ports Corporation’s Marina Main Stage
From 7.00pm
Meat Loaf The Concert Plus Live Entertainment from local band Sand
QER’s Fantastic Fireworks Display 9.00pm (approx)
10.00am - 10.30pm
Tasty Food Court treats & live music
Around the Festival
8.00am - 4.00pm
WICET’s Marina Markets
Festival Mardi Gras - Rides, Fun & Sideshow Alley and Roving Entertainers 10.00am - 10.30pm
10.00am - 2.00pm Kids Zone brought to you by Bendigo Bank
Gladstone Ports Corporation’s Marina Main Stage
From 7.00pm
9.00pm (approx)
Killer Queens Plus Live Entertainment from Local Band Big Treble
Corehesion’s Fantastic Fireworks Display
GECC’s Food Court
Tasty Food Court treats & live music 10.00am - 10.30pm
Around the Festival
10.00am - 10.30pm
10.00am
11.00am
10.00am - 2.00pm
12.00noon - 3.00pm
Festival Mardi Gras - Rides, Fun & Sideshow Alley and Roving Entertainers
Stockland’s Easter Egg Hunt Ages 4 & Under
Stockland’s Easter Egg Hunt Ages 5 - 8
Kids Zone brought to you by Bendigo Bank
Golding’s Face Painting
Thursday Night
Come and relax in the Chill Out Zone!
Friday - Crafty Capers Workshops
Reef Fish - Saltwater Aquarium - Scratchboard Sea
Animals and Pool Noodle Jellyfish
Saturday - Crafty Capers Workshops
Message in a bottle and Fun Fishing.
Sunday - Crafty Capers Workshops
Beach Ball Design and Sealife Art
Proudly brought to you by
Friday 7th April 2023
9.00 am - 11.30am
Auckland Creek
Proud sponsors of the Great Raft Regatta
Gladstone Harbour Festival!
Thursday 7.55pm (approx)
Saturday 9.00pm (approx)
Sunday 9.00pm (approx)
Sunday 9th April 2023
10.00am - Ages 4 and under
11.00am - Ages 5-8
Friday 7th April - 11am to 2pm
Sunday 9th April - 12noon - 3pm
Proudly brought to you by
Ride Coupons will be available in the Gladstone Today Newspaper out Thursday 30th March 2023 and Thursday 6th April 2023
With a small, local team WICET aims to increase the region’s coal export capacity in a manner that is respectful to the local community and environment. We are committed to supporting the Gladstone Region community and are pleased to once again sponsor the Harbour Festival Marina Markets.
With stalls selling a variety of homemade foods, fashion, homewares and arts & craft, there will be something for everyone at the WICET Marina Markets.
When are they on?
Markets will run from Friday 7th to Saturday 8th April from 8am – 4pm.
Win a holiday for 2 adults
2 Nights, Return Launch Transfers Breakfast Daily $2.00 per ticket or 6 for $10.00 Drawn Easter Sunday 9th April on the main stage Gladstone Harbour Festival
1. SEARCH THE HARBOUR FESTIVAL FOR THE QR CODE POSTERS
2. SCAN THE QR CODE
3. READ ALL ABOUT HARBOUR MARINE ANIMALS
4. FOLLOW THE CLUES
5. CLAIM YOUR PRIZE AT THE LAST POINT
Exhibition Dates: Wednesday 29 March to Wednesday 19 April 2023
Opening
IT’S HARBOUR FESTIVAL TIME AGAIN!
Thistle Pipe Band Hall, Dawson Highway Gladstone (Opposite Gladstone State High School)
Friday 7th April and Saturday 8th April, 2023
8.00am - 4.00pm
Gold Coin Donation
- Displaying work done by local members
- many varied forms of quilt making on dsiplay
- some items for sale for those looking for a unique handmade gift
- buy a raffle ticket which gives you the chance to win one of 3 beautiful quilts