Activities

Friday 31 March, 4:00pm - Orbost Exhibition Centre, 8 Clarke Street, Orbost

Sunday 2 April, 4.30pm - Community Club Rooms, Greer Street, Mallacoota

Monday 3 April, 3.20pm - Cann River Hall, Tamboon Road, Cann River

Tuesday 4 April - Mallacoota P-12 College (for school students only)

Wednesday 5 April, 4.15 pm - Genoa Tennis Courts, Park Road, Genoa (or Genoa Hall if inclement weather).

Parade starts Friday 7 April, 1:00pm on the Mallacoota Main Street - Maurice Ave

ANNOUNCING THE RETURN OF THE LEGENDARY PERCUSSION STREET PARADE!

Workshop participants will be invited to join the legendary Percussion Street Parade throughout the Festival. Says local drummer, Ken Vatcher, "Participatory percussion events have been a major part of Mallacoota’s rich and proud artistic history, dating back to the late 1970s. This year, the opportunity to be part of the magic of playing Samba in a large group awaits you! Do it, and you’ll never forget the joy that comes with it! This is truly a special opportunity, no matter what your skill level in music."

"Percussion workshop participants will learn the mesmerising 'Samba Reggae' rhythm from Brazil and the walking-dance steps that will enable them to participate in the Parade. We will also learn the famous 'Los Percasos' rhythm, in readiness for the festivities." - Mark Grunden.

The percussion street parade will open the Festival journeying through the township to the Festival site. Get your tickets early and check in through the festival gates to secure a spot on the Mallacoota Oval to await the arrival of the percussion street parade.

So get your festival RETRO gear on and get ready to dance to the Samba Reggae and Los Percasos rhythms on Friday 7 April @ 1.00pm.

In preparation for the street parade, percussion workshops are taking place in Orbost, Cann River, Genoa and Mallacoota in the lead up to a Festival.

Join Mark Grunden for a fun workshop, where you’ll learn the Samba Reggae, Los Percasos rhythms, and walking dance steps for the festival’s Percussion Street Parade. There’s a part to play for everyone! All ages and abilities are welcome.

For further enquiries contact Lisa Broome on 0401 568 503 or email lisa.broome@reclink.org

Good Friday 7 April, 9:00-10:00am, St Peter's Church

Easter Saturday 8 April, 12:00-1:00pm, St Peter's Church

Easter Sunday 9 April, 6:00-7:00am, Betka Beach

Easter Sunday 9 April, 9:00-10:00am, St Peter's Church

All are welcome to join the Cooperating Parish of Croajingolong as they journey through the Christian Easter Celebrations.

Good Friday at St Peter's Church is a quiet and reflective service, where art, music, readings and silence are used to reflect on the last hours of Jesus' life; and his death on the cross.

Saturday is the Catholic Mass at St Peter's Church. A visiting Priest from the Parish of Lakes Entrance comes to lead this service. It is part of the unique Cooperating here in Mallacoota to use one church for all denominations.

Sunrise Sunday morning at Betka Beach if weather permits. Please check Cooperating Parish of Croajingolong Facebook Page for any amendments. Join others on the beach for a time of reflection and prayer, as the sun rises from the sea. We then share a BBQ breakfast together. Now in its 4th year, this has become a popular Easter occasion for locals and visitors.

Sunday morning at St Peters Church. A fun and family friendly service, where we discover what E.A.S.T.E.R means, with the option of creating something to take home… all wrapped up in an Anglican Communion Service.

For more info, check FB page @croajingolong or contact Rev Jude Benton 0411 016 470.

Friday 7 April, 4:00-5:00pm - Mallacoota Oval, Main Festival Site

Sunday 9 April, 3:00-4:00pm - Mallacoota Oval, Main Festival Site

Sponsored by Mallacoota Arts Space.

Dive into the art realm and spark a conversation about the endless opportunities within the world of street art and visual arts.

“Painting is my therapy, my outlet, and dubs as my work. Let’s have a chat about its values, how it works and how to navigate through the creative world through connections and just giving it a crack!” - Ash Hoary

Friday 7 April, 5:00-6:00pm - Mallacoota Oval, Main Festival Site

Sunday 9 April, 4:00-5:00pm - Mallacoota Oval, Main Festival Site

An informal Q&A style conversation that will likely travel from 101 design concepts through to the depths of the sacred geometry rabbit hole! Think plan shape, rocker and foil line, fin set up and placement, construction, materials, flex property dynamics… bring your questions and ideas.

Jed Done is a Far South Coast local who has been immersed in surfboard design for the past 30 years. He’s a master hand shaper turned computer nerd who is fueled by his commitment to raising the bar in surfboard design and performance.

Until recently, Jed and his partner Eva had a great little store in the Pambula main street, Switchfoot Boards, as much as a community hub and place to hang and chat with a coffee as a board store showcasing Jed's work.

In 2020, Jed together with the Far South Coast surfing community reached out to the Mallacoota community after hearing about the personal loss to fire impacted residents, who lost some precious boards amongst their quivers. Jed and crew kindly hand shaped and donated a number of boards to our local boardriding community.

Saturday 8 April, 8:00am-1:00pm, Eastern side of Lions Club Park & Muddie

This year, like many Easter's past, the Mallacoota Lions Club brings you the Mallacoota Lions Club Community Markets. Given the Skate Park works currently underway, the markets will be held close to the camp park this year, east of the Muddie and Lions Club Park and adjacent to the Mallacoota Oval and Festival site.

Saturday 8 April will see the Festival site opened up for non-ticket holders between 9.30am - 1pm so that market goers can move seamlessly between market stalls, food vans and festival activities and live music. Please come along and support your local producers and vendors.

Saturday 8 April, 10:00-11:00am - Mallacoota Oval, Main Festival Site

Proud Mutti Mutti, Yorta Yorta, Nari Nari Songman Kutcha Edwards has been prolifically combining song writing and activism since 1991 and is a survivor of the Stolen Generations.

Kutcha’s workshops are designed to draw understanding from the participants about Aboriginal Australia and enhance that knowledge with some reality checks along the way.

Through stories, songs, and two-way conversations, Kutcha explores, defines, and imparts his understanding of what it is to be an Indigenous person in Australia today and the true history that brought us to this point in time.

He draws on a profound sense of all those who have gone before him on this land, along with his own life experiences, to help his audiences understand themselves, reconnect with their culture, and promote cultural understanding. He touches the soul, and through his humour and insights, we realise that with recognition of the true Aboriginal history, there can be hope of reconciliation and healing.

Saturday 8 April, 10.30-11:45am - WWII Bunker Museum - Airport Road

Registrations essential. Visit the Far East Music Festival main gate alongside the Community Club Rooms on Greer Street during the Festival to register for this workshop.

Bring the kids along for the Hop to it Easter Fun Workshop (10.30-11.30am) with Nicole Migotto-Brown.

Stay for lunch, bring a picnic and enjoy a live music ‘ pop up’ performance (12.00-1.00pm) presented by the Far East Music Festival.

Children will be invited to participate in Kamishibai storytelling “Paper Theatre” and rock painting as well as an Easter hunt. Nicole will take the children along the new interpretive walk around the Bunker.

Along the way, the children will go on a rock hunt to find a special rock or two. As an added element, there will be a little easter egg hidden under each rock. The children will then gather at an open spot near the Bunker to listen to a story. They will have the opportunity to paint their rocks with Posca paint pens. The children can either place their painted rock in one of the triangular cages that the interpretive signs are attached to, or they can take their rock home.

Families are encouraged to bring a picnic or use the BBQ facilities at the Mallacoota Bunker Museum and view the Festivals of Yesteryear display inside the Bunker.

Suitable for children aged 4-10 years (must be accompanied by an adult).

Saturday 8 April, 10.30-1:00pm - WWII Bunker Museum - Airport Road

Come on out to the Bunker Museum on Airport Road in Mallacoota to experience the historic WWII Bunker Museum and the Festivals of Yesteryear retrospective.

The Mallacoota and District Historical Society manage the historic WWII Bunker Museum situated in bushland on the outskirts of the Mallacoota township. It is also the archival repository of Mallacoota’s history.

Mallacoota has long been a regional hub for artistic endeavours going back to a writers' and artists' colony established by well-known journalist and poet E J Brady in 1909 to music festivals of the 70’s through to the turn of the century and current day musical events represented by the Far East Music Festival.

The early Mallacoota festivals, 1982-2004, were multi-arts ventures, where many young locals and artists mingled their talents with capital city arts workers, musicians, comedians, and circus performers.

The festivals cohered around traditional events such as the community play, the parade, iron person, markets, the sunset rituals, the cabaret, jazz and comedy night, talent quests, the youth festival, children’s play and sand sculpture competition.

Currently the Bunker is proud to present the Festivals of Yesteryear a ten panel photo collage retrospective. This exhibit will give “remember when” moments to Mallacoota locals and provide visitors with a look into the artistic past of this remote, rural community.

If you were around in the old days come on down and try to find yourself in the images!

Saturday 8 April, 12:00-1:00pm - Mallacoota Oval, Main Festival Site

Sunday 9 April, 12:00-1pm - Mallacoota Oval, Main Festival Site

Nadine Johnson has been in the healing arts for the past decade, weaving together a collection of modalities from bodywork, breathwork, ecstatic dance and sacred ceremony to her current role as a yoga teacher. Nadine believes yoga should be available to everyone and is a whole way of life on and off the mat. She loves to weave philosophy into her teaching and is a committed student to the ongoing study of this ancient art.

Nadine will guide you on an inner journey to peace through the use of sacred sound healing instruments, to help calm the nervous system and bring stillness to the mind.

Saturday 8 April, 1:00-2:00pm - The Main Hall, Greer Street

Sunday 9 April, 1:00-2:00pm - The Main Hall, Greer Street

The Lindy Hop is the original swing dance, and jazz dance its parentage. The jazz dances which helped comprise the Lindy Hop are important to the dance and culture. It is a Black American social dance originating in the ballrooms of Harlem in the late 1920’s. Lindy Hop grew out of earlier African American vernacular dances but quickly gained its own fame through places like the Savoy Ballroom, dancers in films, performances, competitions, and the professional dance troupe - Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers.

Ramona Staffeld is excited to be passing on her knowledge and experience with anyone ready to get moving. Jazz is self expression and communication, and class will be about exploring these things. Be the picture of the sound, get in the groove. Feel the music. Learn some basic steps to get you going on the social dance floor. No need to bring a partner, but absolutely get ready for a whole lot of fun!

Saturday 9 April, 2:00-3:00 The Main Hall, Greer Street

Come along and explore the performance space with physical and verbal warm-up games to get you working in a team for spontaneous improvised theatre games. All ages, levels of skill and ability welcomed as we learn to let it go, with a motto of "it just doesn't matter"!

Learn to be an enthusiastic audience for two "teams" taking on the challenge of a drama game with no time to rehearse or think too much. That's the joy of being spontaneous and in-the-moment.

Kate is an experienced drama teacher, playwright and director, and will "coach" you through these fun activities. All ages and all ability levels welcome. Please wear comfortable clothing.

Saturday 8 April, 3:00-6:00pm - Mallacoota Oval, Main Festival Site

Sunday 9 April, 1:00-4:00pm - Mallacoota Oval, Main Festival Site

Join Hollie, a proud Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo woman who, having been fortunate to grow up with a family of traditional artists has found her own medium that includes multidisciplinary art forms of photography, designing, painting and jewellery making. Incorporating native and natural materials, wood burning and weaving along with others, you will learn how to make and create something to take with you that is from Country as well as learning some language along the way.

Sunday 9 April, 8:00am-1:00pm - Bastion Point

Must register, if participating, on Friday 7 April, 3:00-7:00pm at the Mallacoota Oval, Main Festival Site.

The Mallacoota Boardriders Club is a not for profit social club that shares a passion for surfing, the ocean and the local community.

We aim to foster respect and understanding towards our natural surroundings and each other by creating opportunities to experience the ocean and coastal environment whilst celebrating our community through social events.

Our events include all-ages surf competitions, movie nights, learn to surf days, professional contest screenings, music and BBQs, and the largest event on our calendar, The Far Easter.

The Far Easter is a retro boards teams comp held around Easter each year, with the sole purpose of having as much fun and laughter while surfing as possible. This year's theme calls on all teams to dress retro.

Visiting teams from the Northern Rivers and Sapphire Coast to Gippsland Lakes regions join local teams in retro themed costume surf extravaganza to battle it out for bragging rights of being crowned Mallacoota Boardriders Far Easter Champions.

Sunday 9 April, 8.30-9.30am - Betka Beach carpark

Registrations essential. Visit the Far East Music Festival main gate alongside the Community Club Rooms on Greer Street during the Festival to register for this activity.

Join this activity at Betka Beach Car Park, then follow the Betka River Loop Trail which traverses a variety of coastal and riverine habitats and offers views of the ocean and the river.

Members of the Friends of Mallacoota (FoM) will accompany the group, providing commentary on the regeneration processes following the 2019-20 bushfire, and assisting with plant identification and bird spotting.

It is recommended that you wear a hat and carry water. Bring binoculars if you have them.

The Friends of Mallacoota is a community-based organisation founded in the 1980s dedicated to protecting the environment of East Gippsland. We advocate for the conservation of the natural environment and raise awareness of environmental issues within our community.

Current projects include establishing the Mallacoota Endemic Garden, undertaking regular weeding locally and on Gabo Island, promoting a variety of recycling initiatives, and monitoring Hooded Plover breeding activity.

Sunday 9 April, 10:00-11.30am, Mallacoota Arts Space

'SECURE YOUR FUTURE' - Learn Harmonica with Justin Brady (Tamworth Gold Harmonica Award)

If you have lips & can breathe, you can play.

Justin will guide you through the basics of harmonica technique.

Learn how to play a simple melody, blues licks, bend notes & play with rhythm whilst having a lot of fun in the process.

If you have a harmonica in the Key of C (a 10-hole diatonic harmonica) please bring it along.

Some harmonicas will be available for purchase at the workshop.

www.justinbradymusic.com