Festival fun, on and off the water

IT WILL be “Geelong’s Mega Event Weekend” as all the colour and excitement of the Festival of Sails returns to the Geelong waterfront over the January 26-28 long weekend.

It’s Australia’s biggest celebration of sailing and the largest keelboat sailing regatta in the Southern Hemisphere. Organised by the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, the Melbourne to Geelong Passage Race will celebrate its 181st anniversary in 2024.

The regatta usually attracts more than 300 yachts and more than 3,000 participants to Geelong’s Corio Bay and while the competition across a variety of classes will see some of the nation’s best sailing crews battle it out for bragging rights, the action off the water will be equally as exciting.

Continuing its long tradition of being the place to party over the January break, this year rock band Body Type is set to take centre stage as the headline act for the 2024 Festival of Sails.

The female foursome from Sydney has been hailed as one of Australia’s best live acts, with critics around the world stamping their hit record Everything is Dangerous But Nothing’s Surprising as “one of the finest of the year” and they’ll hit the main stage on January 27.

Also entertaining the crowds will be ARIA winners and one of Australia’s fan favourite acts Southern Sons. Best known for their top 10 smash hits “Heart in Danger”, “Hold Me In Your Arms” and “You Were There”, the Aussie rock legends will be performing on January 26.

Rounding out just some of the musical highlights will be Australia’s best INXS cover band, and sell-out rock favourites The Australian INXS Show, who will get the party pumping late on January 27.

If you’ve ever fancied potentially taking a turn at the helm, why not get involved with the Discover Sailing experience on Eastern Beach from 9am to 12 noon on January 27?

Perhaps head to the action of the beach volleyball between 10am-6pm on January 26 and January 27.

Fabulous market stalls, enticing food and beverage offerings and a new foredeck hospitality experience with a bird’s eye view of the main performance stage all combine to add to a great party atmosphere.

Rounding out Geelong’s Mega Event Weekend is the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race – named after Australia’s most decorated competitive cyclist and local hero, Cadel Evans – which attracts elite cyclists from around the globe, along with thousands of enthusiastic amateurs keen to ride the same routes as their cycling heroes.

January 26 to 28 is a weekend in Geelong not to be missed!

The Festival of Sails and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race are both supported by the Victorian government and the City of Greater Geelong.