The Burdekin Cultural Fair featuring First Fire is the first headline event of the 2023 Sweet Days Hot Nights Festival. Come along to celebrate the best of the Burdekin's People, Produce and Culture.
The Burdekin Cultural Fair will celebrate the diversity of the region with a number of cultures coming together to provide different food, activities and entertainment for everyone to enjoy. Kids can experience a range of cultural activities such as hair braiding, flag making and indigenous painting, whilst the on-stage performances will make visitors and locals feel like they are in another part of the world. Join us to celebrate food, fun and family while singing and dancing along with the Belly dancers, Greek dancers, Indian dancers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dancers and Chinese Lion. A highlight of the event includes the lighting of the First Fire for the 2023 sugar cane crushing season! The Burdekin is one of the only regions in the world that still burns the sugar cane paddock before harvesting. A cane fire is a unique experience as you hear the roar and crackling of the crop, smell the sweet essence of the burning sugar and feel the heat of the fire as it tears through the paddock. Sit back, relax and enjoy live music while you devour delicious food from an array of food stalls. Enjoy live performances before the first fire of the season lights up the sky. Take a seat at the long table and chat to a local farmer over a cold beer or bring your own picnic blanket and sprawl out under the big Australian night sky – whatever you desire you are sure to enjoy the Burdekin’s warm nights and its country hospitality.