A NEW DIRECTION AND RE-BRANDING FOR GYMPIE’S GOLD RUSH FESTIVAL

The Gympie Gold Rush Festival is an annual celebration of the discovery of gold in Gympie in 1867, and the subsequent establishment of Gympie City.   

The Gold Rush Festival began in 1967, when the town celebrated the centenary of James Nash’s golden strike and the ensuring establishment of the town of Gympie.  With the initial success and public support for it, community organisers began planning a regular event to commemorate the town’s golden past.

 However, today is today and it is a fact that times have changed.  Today families stay home more, children prefer face book to face paint and mobile phones to socialising.  Attitudes have changed over the years and what appealed to the community ten or more years ago is not necessarily what appeals today.   

If the Gympie Goldrush Festival is to survive, it too must change with the times and a new direction for the Gold Rush Festival is now required to stay relevant and sustainable into the future. 

Research in the way of a local public survey done by us left no doubt that the community’s interest has decreased over the years for attending the Gold Rush Festival week of events.  Gympie’s Festival will only attract the Gympie public, visitors and tourists attendance if the Festival has something of interest for all. Our Festival Day Program will just get bigger and better as the months progress.

At a General Meeting of members of our Association in November 2012, a decision was taken that if the Festival is to continue and remain a permanent fixture on Queensland’s calendar for October, re-branding and a new direction in 2013 must be taken if Gympie’s Festival is to survive.  The change of name for Gympie’s Festival will be re-branded as – GOLD FEVER FESTIVAL!

This year the ‘Gold Fever Festival’ will commence on Sunday, 13 October with a Combined Church Service, with other events happening during the week running up to the 19 October 2013, Parade Day, Family Party, Mardi-gras, Carnival Day, call it what you may, but it will have an air of excitement, with attractions happening to keep everyone interested all to the sounds of Shirley Bassey singing “Gold Fever’ on the loud speakers up and down the CBD.  This is a day you can’t afford to miss.

Jan Collins

President
GDGRF Inc.