The new-look 2025 Kingaroy BaconFest has been given a big thumbs up … from left, volunteers Leanne Dahms and Tracy Goldsmith
August 21, 2025
The Chief Baconeer for the 2025 Kingaroy BaconFest, Rob Fitz-Herbert, has given this year’s new-look event a big thumbs up.
He told southburnett.com.au the feedback he had received so far about the festival had been overwhelmingly positive.
Local accommodation providers had been booked out, and the key sponsors, SunPork, Australian Pork and Westlink, were happy.
The provision of a shuttle bus, which ferried visitors from motels and the Kingaroy Showground, was new this year and had been very popular.
About 1200 people passed through the gate at Memorial Park on Friday night for the Bacon Street Feast, which featured a full range of food stalls as well as live entertainment on the Westlink stage.
On Saturday morning, about 600 people came along for the Big Bacon Breakfast.
These two events enabled families on a budget to enjoy a taste of BaconFest.
The main event kicked off at 10:00am on Saturday and was another sell-out, with about 4000 tickets sold.
Visitors could browse the 20 food stalls, many of which featured bacon or pork dishes, and 30 market stalls.
Rob said a number of community organisations had benefited from the event, including the Kingaroy Scouts, Kingaroy Rotary and the two local Lions clubs (Kingaroy and Taabinga).
The shorter 2025 BaconFest – just one night and one day – was popular with volunteers as well as stallholders, many of whom packed up on Saturday night to attend other events on Sunday.
The schedule also freed up Sunday for visitors who could spend another day exploring the South Burnett (and spending money) before heading back home.
Rob said the highlight for him was the performance on Saturday night by country star Troy Cassar-Daley, “one of the biggest music artists in the country”.
He said BaconFest was thrilled to have been able to secure Troy for the event, and Memorial Park had been the best venue for the concert.
“The park is well laid out for events like this,” Rob said.
He said Troy was remarkable, particularly the way he ran a workshop for local students, and then got them up on stage with him on Saturday.
Rob said the success of this year’s event was a testament to the hard work of his committee and the many volunteers who helped over the weekend.
The performance by Troy Cassar-Daley on Saturday night attracted a big crowd to Memorial ParkStudents from Kingaroy State High School, St John’s Lutheran School and St Mary’s Catholic College joined Troy Cassar-Daley on stage to sing “Dream Out Loud”Ellie Fiedler with Troy on stage … the performance by the schoolchildren, who had taken part in an earlier workshop with the country star, was greeted with loud applause from the audience
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Saturday
SunPork Smoke-Off champions “Dusty Q” (Jeff and Amanda Griffiths, from Adelaide) and Grand Champion “Big GC’s BBQ” (Fiona and Grant Coleman from the Gold Coast) … the barbecue competition has been a part of BaconFest since the first festival in 2018Local singer Amber Goldsmith, who has just released her new album “Drive”, was the main warm-up act before Troy Cassar-Daley hit the stageNatalie Fenton and Tracy Goldsmith were dancing the night away in front of the stage with some friendly “piglets”Tiny Young, from Brisbane, and Brett Nayler, from Bell, were looking forward to Saturday night’s Troy Cassar-Daley concertNicky Watkins, from Murgon, with South Burnett Mayor Kathy DuffCr Danita Potter with her sister, Anne-Marie Buhmann, from the Gold Coast … Cr Potter was particularly proud that two South Burnett Youth Council members made it through to the final of the bacon-eating competition!Josh Gleich, from Kingaroy, was helping to prepare the food on the SunPork standAustralian Pork representatives with the junior and senior winners of the bacon-eating competition (Photo: Kim Jones)Audience members brought along their picnic rugs and camping chairs for the evening’s entertainmentThe sign on this food stall says it all … pork was very popular at BaconFest!
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Bacon Street Feast
Friday night’s Bacon Street Feast and Saturday morning’s Big Bacon Breakfast were designed to be “community events” for local residents with a cheaper entry price:
Kate Taylor, from SunPork, was busy cooking up some …. bacon!SunPork crew members Keren Pitt and Andrew Hiscox were helping out on the merch stallSunPork members sharing tasty treats at the Street FeastAmos Pellas was one of the many local performers on stage across Friday night and SaturdayTanya Hodgson, from Kingaroy, and Linda Sonter, from Inverlaw, were exploring the SunPork Smoke-Off teams’ tentsFirst-time SunPork Smoke-Off entrants “Red Beard BBQ” … from left, Cody Barrett, Billy Whelan, Matt Walker and Harley O’BrienJess and Mitch Barnes, from Oakey, were competing in the Smoke-Off as “Smooth & SmOakey”Kerry O’Brien and Tony Fellows, from Hillsdale Estate at BooieTaabinga Lions Club was one of the local community groups which had a food stall …… alongside the Kingaroy Lions ClubBev Watter, from Kingaroy Rotary, was frying up bacon (!) on the Rotary stallNot wanting to be a boar, but some pigs probably get an over-inflated opinion of themselves during BaconFest …Cr Jane Erkens, at front, caught up with fellow Nanango residents Debbie and Mark Hartley, and Claudia MuellerThe Lost Explorers (Colonel Braxton Hicks and the other one) were exploring the BaconFest grounds on Friday nightKCCI president (and Martoo Meats butcher) Damien Martoo compered the entertainment on the main stageNatalie Fenton was another of the local singers who filled the entertainment schedulePeople were enjoying meals and snacks on Friday night at the Bacon Street Feast
