More than 5000 attend 63rd Geraldton Sunshine Festival as organisers look to improve parade next year

A crowd of more than 5000 celebrated the 63rd Sunshine Festival at Geraldton foreshore at the weekend. More than 60 stallholders decorated their stalls with ribbon and streamers to celebrate the carnival-style event, WA’s longest-running regional festival. From 10am on Sunday, performers gave it their all at the Stow Gardens stage as more than 5000 flooded in to celebrate the nostalgic event. A sure hit was the BMX stunt show and the pet and bike parades, while little ones had the opportunity to ride a pony. The float parade featured Champion Bay Surf Life Saving Club nippers, Life Without Barriers volunteers wearing pastel coloured onesies and several local community groups, including Mid West Multicultural Association members, who proudly waved their respective countries’ flags during the parade. The Woorree Scout Group ghost train float was a crowd favourite, with their spooky costumes and giant skeleton dinosaur mascot. City of Greater Geraldton mayor Jerry Clune judged the parade, handing the Woorree scouts the $1000 overall best float prize. Most entertaining was awarded to the Mabuhay Cultural Society, who danced their way through the parade, while the best community/not-for-profit went to Vinnies Geraldton for their small truck with banners and large soccer ball. The best commercial float went to the Geraldton Scrapbook House. Mr Clune also awarded the young bike riders with prizes for their efforts in dressing up for the festival. “There was a good size crowd there for the day. At 10am people were streaming into the festival, there was plenty to see and do,” he said. “It was a busy day down on the foreshore.” Festival chairman Ian Fisher said the atmosphere was great this year and thanked the community who continue to support the event. “It was a really good crowd turnout, there was a good number of stalls as well,” he said. “I think the last few years in part its grown a lot, the only thing that’s not been so great is the float parade, but we are working on that for next year. We were light on numbers but still, some were saying it was better than last year.”