Begonia Parade sounding great

JAZZ music, celebrating diversity in our community as well as everything that’s great about Ballarat are just a few of the themes set for this year’s PowerFM Begonia Parade.

Heading down Wendouree Parade on the Labour Day morning of the Begonia Festival, City of Ballarat Cr Samantha McIntosh said the event will be a celebration of the city.

“The Begonia Parade is such an important part of our community events given that it’s been held over many years,” she said.

“It’s the opportunity for the local community to be involved and be part of such a wonderful fun activity. It’s about bringing community together and showing visitors to Ballarat the great community we have.”

The Ballarat Jazz Club will be one of 44 schools community groups and multicultural communities taking part in the festivities.

Club president Gerard Ballinger said this groups will be bringing a touch of the Roaring Twenties to the parade.

“We’re having a 1920s Great Gatsby style New Orleans jazz party,” he said. “A band will be leading members dressed in costume to promote the Jazz Club.

“We’re also encouraging people, if they play jazz, to get in contact if they want to be part of the parade and join up as a member of the Jazz Club.”

As the major sponsor of the event, PowerFM’s the breakfast team will be providing commentary on each group participating.

Station general manager John Fitzgibbon said speakers will be set up along the parade route and the event will also be simulcast on PowerFM.

“It gives us the opportunity to relay the excitement, fun and colour of the parade to a broader audience,” he said. “It’s just a fantastic community event that we want to be involved in.”

As always there’ll be prizes on offer for floats and groups taking part in the parade, and as a former judge Cr McIntosh had some pro-tips for securing an award.

“Colourful, engagement, movement, music, excitement, happiness, everyone working together,” she said. “Those that are successful are those that have put so much time and energy together as a group.”

The PowerFM Begonia Parade gets underway at 11am from the pedestrian crossing in front of the South Gardens and ends just past Piper’s at the North Gardens at about 12pm on Monday, 9 March.