The Tara Festival of Culture and Camel Races has officially SOLD OUT ahead of festival gates opening this weekend 2 – 4 August, for the first time in the event’s history.
Australia’s Biggest Camel Party will welcome a record crowd of camel party enthusiasts, festival fans and travellers from across Australia to the tiny town of Tara in Queensland’s Western Downs.
Attendance has seen the biennial festival become one of the most popular camel races in Australia, highly sought for its intoxicating mix of professional camel races on the track and non-stop multi-cultural entertainment off the track.
Festival President Kerry Kelly said words cannot express how grateful we are for the unprecedented demand and support we’ve received this year, considering the challenges so many events are facing.
“Attendance will grow the town’s population by at least 6-fold for the weekend.
“Festival-goers have already started arriving in town, ready for the festival fun to all start Friday 2 August with the gates opening at 5pm.
“We spend months and months of planning, giving our time for everyone to have a good time, and it’s all worthwhile.” Ms Kelly said.
Tara is set to be a hive of activity from Friday morning with the Tara Schools’ Book Week Parade and morning markets taking over the main street in an explosion of colour. Friday night will kickstart the weekend with the Aussie Wildfire Show, fireworks and live music.
Camel racing begins from 9am Saturday with a program of 14 camel races over two days, and $30,000 in cash up for grabs.
Favourites on the starting line include Gympie camel, ‘Gunna’, the winner of the Boulia Camel 1,200 metre Cup Final two weeks ago, and ‘Polished Copper’ who won Boulia’s 400 metre Final.
The weekend continues with two big stages of rolling cultural acts and live music headline acts including country music legend Lee Kernaghan. Country duo Zac & George, and Australia’s Best Country Music DJ, Dee Jaye Bux will join the party on the main stage for the festival’s Saturday night entertainment once the camels leave the track. For the kids, there’s roving entertainers, a big kids zone, camel rides and fireworks.
Joining this year’s live entertainment lineup is 2024 Australian Idol finalist, Trent Richardson.
No stranger to the Tara Festival, Trent grew up on a camel farm in Central Queensland, and through the family business grew up around camel racetracks. Regular festival-goers may recognise Trent from visiting the festival from a very young age with his dad, camel-racing industry legend, John Richardson, or known to many as “Richo” or “the camel man”. Trent will take to the stage this Saturday night.
“Since our first event in 2001, we’ve grown to be a significant event on Queensland’s event calendar and our committee of local and passionate volunteers continue each festival to set the bar higher.
“We’re so humbled and proud to think that the Tara Festival would evoke so much excitement, bring on the party!” Ms Kelly said.
The festival’s monumental growth and success is the pride of Tara’s small community, now one of the biggest gatherings in the Darling Downs Region.
The Tara Festival of Culture and Camel Races is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.
TICKETS SOLD OUT
WHERE IS TARA?
Tara is located just three and a half hours west of Brisbane and two hours west of Toowoomba.
FESTIVAL DATES: 2 AUGUST – 4 AUGUST 2024
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Festival Marketing & PR Coordinator
Sally Bird
M 0488 273 353
E sally@kristahauritz.com.au