ORANGE FESTIVAL SHOWCASES THE COMMUNITY OF BINGARA

25 years since its inception, the annual Bingara Orange Festival was held on the weekend of June 30 to July 1, 2023. Commencing with a solemn ceremony of remembrance, residents of and visitors to Bingara joined students and staff of Bingara Central School, Gwydir Shire Council members and the Bingara Returned and Services League (RSL) sub-Branch at the front of the Bingara RSL at 11am on Friday to pay their respects to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in World Wars I and II.

Having undertaken the task of caring for and monitoring the trees as part of their duty as the “Orange Police”, students from the Bingara Central School enthusiastically joined those in attendance in picking the oranges, ripened by early frosts. Further, with a $50 prize up for grabs for the largest orange, students were keen to lay their hands on a sizeable fruit. Congratulations to Emma-Rose Galloway of Year 5 who tracked down a whopper.

Whilst most of town were still in bed, the streets began to stir well before dawn. With 70 stalls to set up, road blocks to implement and all manner of other behind-the-scenes jobs to undertake, Bingara was humming with activity by the time the Orange Festival officially kicked off at 10am.

With a gloriously sun-filled day as a backdrop to all on offer, attendees of the festival were treated to all manner of offerings. From perennial favourites, the Memphis Moovers, to the effervescent Sydney Swing Katz, to local performances contributed by phsysical culture students, line dancers and those keen to “give it a go” on the dancefloor, the festival offered a visual and auditory air of delight.

Food options were varied, from Peter’s Roxy Café to food trucks, to the pubs and clubs. Stalls had all conceivable wares for sale, from quartz to earrings, candles to knitted cot blankets.

Other activities included tours of the Roxy Theatre, opening of the Bingara Historical Museum Complex, childrens’ rides, balloon bending and face painting.

Festival-focused food and entertainment contributions continued with a memorable offering at the heritage-listed Roxy Theatre, where event-goers were treated to A retro diner atmosphere and dinner prior to a screening of the 1978 classic film, Grease. Positive feedback from this event indicates it may become a more regular offering throughout the year.

Another Friday evening treat was held at the Bingara Community Op-Shop, where everyone was made welcome around the chiminea, listening to the ukulele group, whilst being treated to soul, tummy and hand-warming soup. The shop looked splendid with the fabulous volunteer-made orange lanterns.

The festival was rounded out with a parade of vehicles and people, including Bingara Central School, service vehicles, vintage cars, Touriandi and miniature vehicles. All were cheered on by spectators, puntuated by the occasional honk and engine rev.

Both days were buoyed by a palpable sense of pride by the residents of Bingara. Verbal feedback supported this, as many from out of town noted what an enjoyable Orange Festival it was.

As follow-up to this year’s festival, organisers would like to garnish as much constructive feedback as possible, in the hopes of offering an exceptional Orange Festival for many years to come. For those who would like to have a say, please feel free to fill out the following short survey to assist with this: https://forms.office.com/r/