Stunning last night for Fish Creek Tea Cosy Festival

THE BIGGEST Fish Creek Tea Cosy Festival yet attracted approximately 8,000 visitors to the town’s Memorial Hall over its nine-day duration, with an impressive turnout on Saturday night taking to the streets and parkland for an entrancing lantern festival, followed by a spectacular inferno as a wooden tea pot was set ablaze.

A project of Andrew McPherson and Macgregor Knox, the large teapot promoted the event from its roadside location before being moved to the Ride the Wild Goat sculpture garden where it was put to the torch after the arrival of the lantern parade and many spectators.

The festival’s co-convenor Madeline Getson explained that Mr Knox has experience in setting up festive fires and that he is a professional fire sculpture maker, ensuring the stunning display was done safely.

Adding to the drama, a wick was lit, slowly burning until it entered the tea pot spout, the ensuing fire quickly becoming substantial and giving off lots of heat, the crowd gasping in delight.

In the lead-up to Saturday, people tried to save the tea pot, commenting during the week on it being too lovely to burn, but Ms Getson is adamant “That was its purpose.”

Local creative Isabel Whyte was the driving force behind the lantern festival, putting forward the idea to the organisers and running lantern workshops out of one of the ArtCubes, and involving children from the local primary school.

“A lot of kids had been making lanterns in the lead-up to the festival and during the week it was on, and the kids, once they’ve made their lantern, bring their families along,” Ms Getson said.

She’s hopeful the lantern festival will become an ongoing feature of the Fish Creek Tea Cosy Festival.

There is delight at the overall success of the festival, with Ms Getson elaborating on why it was the biggest yet.

“We had a lot more workshops and demonstrations, and instead of having one market day, we had three, featuring all local makers,” she said, expressing appreciation to the Community Bank of Toora and Foster for its market sponsorship that enabled Invy Horn Jam to be booked to provide entertainment while the market was running.

The band involved the whole village as its members roamed the streets in between the rail trail and the hall.

Hannah of 1,000 Dances led spontaneous dance groups outside the hall.

No doubt the Fish Creek Tea Cosy Festival will be even bigger and better next time but that won’t be until 2028.