Joondalup Festival 2023 has been named Best Cultural, Arts or Music Event at the Australian Event Awards and Symposium.
This year’s festival, which attracted more than a quarter of a million visitors to event sites across the city, beat a world-class field of finalists: Vivid Sydney (NSW), Adelaide Fringe (SA), Carmen on Cockatoo Island (NSW) and National Multicultural Festival (ACT).
The city received this prestigious national award in Sydney on Wednesday 13 September.
Held across March/April, the 2023 festival broke new ground with a refreshed and expanded program with more artists performing a broader range of events for more people at more places across the city than ever before.
The undoubted highlight was Boola Djarat Wardan – a laser, light and water show spectacular – which ran at Hillarys Boat Harbour and was enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people from across the State.
Meaning ‘many lights across the sea’, this seven-minute sensory spectacle was an amalgamation of digital laser light technology, water haze and geysers, with an enveloping soundscape that was brought together by the ancient art of Indigenous storytelling.
This display was one of several events in the festival lineup that celebrated culture and country.
Meeukang Warangka Ba Kenniny, meaning ‘dancing and singing in the moonlight’, opened the festival at Neil Hawkins Park, while Celebrate Yellagonga Day offered the community a day of fun activities for the whole family, including music and live performances, fascinating talks and walking tours, kids’ entertainment, arts and crafts, free and ticketed workshops and more.
More than 50 other entertainment shows, community days and special events were held throughout the program, bringing together the contributions of more than 300 local and interstate artists and creatives.
Joondalup Mayor Albert Jacob said this significant national award was fitting recognition for the city, which had taken the festival to new heights in 2023.
“What a great way to celebrate our 25th anniversary as a city,” he said.
“This success of Joondalup Festival 2023 was the result of a strong collaborative effort from many teams across the city who came together as one to deliver the best festival in the event’s storied history.
“The standard has been set. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2024.”
