Burdekin Water Festival Community Launch A Soaring Success

On the evening of Friday, the 4th of July, over 230 excited guests filled Queen Street’s Populin’s Hall to celebrate the official commencement of the wonderful 2025 Burdekin Water Festival.

The Burdekin Water Festival Community Launch event saw the iconic venue transform into a word-class hub of international delights and wonders, flying guests across oceans to destinations like Italy, Japan, and beyond! Pristine white, fluffy clouds were hung from the ceiling, as were globes and vibrantly coloured paper planes to further contribute to the evening’s magical, travel atmosphere whilst guests enjoyed snapping a picture or two in front of an “Adventure Starts Now” photo wall.

Throughout the night, guests were treated to an array of amazing entertainment like a talented hip hop performance from Rhythm Edge Dance Studio’s Reece Bradford whilst the sounds of the Burdekin Community Chruch’s nine-piece band filled the hall. Celebrated young musician, Cecillia Cason, also graced audiences with her talents by performing her national title winning tenor horn piece for all to enjoy on the grand stage. 2024’s Burdekin Water Festival Winners and Runner Ups, Demi O’Shea, Brielle Astorquia, Cole Pontifex and Stella Borellini were outstanding MC’s throughout the evening, keeping events running smoothly, and audiences entertained.

“The evening was a stunning showcase of the 2025 Burdekin Water Festival vision - Bon Voyage: roam the globe - brought to life in the most vibrant and inspiring way with the uttermost help from our community and outgoing committee,” said Demi.

“Our Ambassadors presented themselves with such exceptional passion and pride for not only the festival itself, but for their supporting organisations and they should feel immensely proud of the way they represented themselves and the spirit of the festival!”

The infamous Fashion Show was a highlight of the evening once again, and although some of the Junior and Senior Ambassadors were a little nervous to strut their stuff, Burdekin Water Festival Ambassador Coordinator, Kari Ravizza, shared that by the third outfit change, each of the 12 Ambassadors were beaming with confidence and pride. Garments from Glen Dell, Swerve Surf & Ski and The Q Street Collective returned to the runway for another year along with the debut of Wild East, with the audience noting how well each of the businesses styled their Ambassadors.

“We were absolutely thrilled with how the evening went,” explained Kari.

As the night continued on and the main event rolled around, attendees were delighted to witness the official presentation of the 2025 Burdekin Water Festival sashes and hear speeches from each of the Ambassadors for the very first time.

“Some started off a little nervously, however, they all shared information about themselves, and spoke highly of their supporting organisations,” added Kari.

“The Burdekin Water Festival Committee are very grateful to George and Christine Populin for their generosity once again in support of the Maria Populin Burdekin Water Festival Community Launch and we wish to thank our amazing sponsors and the entire community for their support, and we look forward to what’s ahead!”

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