General News
12 May, 2022
Robert Burns Festival ready to return for ‘22
THE 2022 Robert Burns Scottish Festival is set to return to Camperdown in July this year.
THE 2022 Robert Burns Scottish Festival is set to return to Camperdown in Julythis year.
Festival chairperson Dr John Menzies OAM announced this week the festival is going ahead.
“After two years of COVID restrictions and limited festival events last year due to the COVID restrictions, the committee is working hard to ensure that patrons and the local community are able to enjoy a full festival in 2022,”he said.
Committee members are working hard to secure the musicians who were to perform at last year’s cancelled festival, these include the Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club, Fiona Ross and Shane O’Mara, and Claire Patti.
International Act coming from the USA, Scottish and Irish fiddler Laura Flanagan will be performing at this year’s festival and also conducting a series of fiddle workshops atthe festival.
She is based in Texas and arrives in Australia in early June.
Early Bird tickets for the weekend will be available in May, with a festival weekend ticket for $50 per person.
This ticket will allow patrons to go to all concerts at various venues from across the three day festival.
“The festival committee wants to acknowledge that the past two years have been difficult due to the COVID pandemic and want to encourage patrons to come along to the festival this year,” Dr Menzies said.
“Normal ticket entry is $20 per event, so this is a great discount for festival patrons and a way of offering savings.”
This year’s festival will also see the return of the school children’s program with primary and secondary aged events including art works, poetry, story writing and the popular shortbread baking competition.
These activities will happen before the festival and are delivered in schools.
Dr Menzies said schools can also access programs from the Robert Burns World Federation at no cost and “connecting to Scotland, the birth place of Burns is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn more about Burns”.
Satellite Concerts will return this year, with two events being held.
One will be at Darlington on June 25 with live music and a movie night.
The second event will be at the Commercial Hotel in Terang on June 30 featuring Laura Flanagan and Tuniversal Music.
The renowned gala dinner will be held at the Theatre Royal on Friday, July 1 and promises to be a sumptuous and authentic Scottish meal including an Address to the Haggis, headline performers and more.
Bookings will be essential and numbers will be capped at 100.
The popular music workshops will be held on Wednesday, June 29, Thursday, June 30 and Friday, July 1at the Commercial Hotel in Terang with festival musicians running instrumental workshops.
On Saturday, July 2 Claire Patti will be conducting two choir workshops in Camperdown with virtual master classes connecting the local festival to the world.
Budding chefs will be catered for with a cookery class with Liz Patterson and Ruth Gstrein.
The classes give participants the opportunity to cook authentic Scottish food and eat a meal at the end of the session. Bookings will be essential due to limited class sizes.
Lecture co-ordinator Bob Lambell has organised four guest speakers for Saturday, July 2 to be held at the Killara Centre.
Both Saturday and Sunday the Camperdown Heritage Centre and the Masonic Lodge will be open for folk to visit along with the Clock Tower.
Highland dancing on Saturday will also be open to the public and for the golfers the Robbie Burns Ambrose will be held at Camperdown Golf Club.
On Saturday evening the family night event will see workshop participants come together to provide music at the Theatre Royal and a host of smaller events at various venues, including local hotels, will give patrons lots of choice.
On Sunday market stalls and children’s activities will be held in the avenue, music with the Twa Bards and poetry at the statue in the morning; with the festival finale concert in the afternoon winding up celebrations.
Tickets will be available shortly and further details will be available at www.camperdownburnsfestival.com.au/ and the Robert Burns Festival Facebook page.