March 16, 2016
Numbers at this year’s Wine and Food In The Park Festival were down by a few hundred this year, but the several thousand who made their way to Kingaroy’s Memorial Park on Saturday were rewarded with a relaxing day of food, wine and live entertainment.
This year, the Festival coincided with the start of the region’s rugby league and soccer seasons, as well as the Murgon Show.
The Festival was also hit with some negative publicity on social media about a “designated drinking area” a few weeks beforehand, which implied the grounds would only have small rectangular areas where patrons could drink.
But like many things on social media, this turned out to be wildly incorrect.
The “designated drinking area” was defined by some fences separating the children’s playground and the toilet areas from the main part of the park. Beyond this, everything was the same as normal.
The minor restrictions were introduced by liquor licensing authorities this year to help the Festival conform to normal practice and ensure patron safety, and were no inconvenience.
This year the Festival also returned to its normal schedule, with the Main Stage pumping out bands until 8:00pm and the Giant Wine Tent operating until 7:30pm.
Last year the organising committee had experimented with shutting down the Main Stage at 6:00pm and swapping to acoustic music from the Beer Tent until 7:30pm.
In practice this didn’t work very well, so Festival organisers shrugged their shoulders and returned to the usual format.
Another change was a return to using a mix of local and imported acts.
Last year the Festival experimented with a 100 per cent local format, but this year it returned to the mixed format by popular request.
However a third change introduced last year – inviting wineries from outside the region to take part – was retained after it proved a winner with patrons.
And the pre-Festival dinner in Memorial Park which was introduced in 2014 also stayed in the mix.
“We always experiment with new ideas every year,” Festival president Darren Schmidt said.
“Some soar like the eagles and become a permanent part of the event, and some don’t. But we’re always working to try to improve the experience we offer everyone, and I hope regulars will agree that Wine And Food In The Park keeps getting just that bit better every year.”
Darren said that the festival committee was happy with how the event unfolded overall.
“Dinner guests at the Twilight Affair dinner on Friday night gave it a unanimous thumbs up – great food, great music, lovely wine and 100 very happy people.
“At the main event on Saturday, people able to enjoy a happy and safe day in spectacular weather and indulge in some terrific local wine and food while enjoying a top notch roster of entertainment.”
The organising committee was also pleased with patron behaviour.
“We have always encouraged responsible alcohol consumption and will continue to do so,” Darren said.
“We had lots of security staff and a strong police presence in the grounds.
“Wine and Food In The Park is a family-oriented festival and mums and dads trust us to provide a safe, fun, family-friendly environment. We take a dim view of misbehaviour and over the last 16 years I think that message has made its out into the community at large.
“This festival is a fun day for local residents and visitors, and a great way to relax. And after 16 years, I think it’s also become an iconic part of the South Burnett’s culture.”
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In The Giant Wine Tent
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Elsewhere In The Grounds
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Under The Trees
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