Crowds flock to celebrate community at river festival

THE Wardell River Festival looks set to become an annual event after nearly 1000 people turned out for a day of art, live music and market shopping.

The festival was the first to be held on the new $1.7 million community space on Richmond Street, built as part of the Wardell Village Centre Revitalisation project.

Run by the Wardell CORE Neighbourhood Centre with support from Ballina Shire Council, Sunshine Sugar and other partners, the event featured a mix of youth and older bands along with market stalls showcasing new local businesses.

Wardell CORE president Joel Orchard said the strong turnout showed the event had momentum.

“We have every intention of making this an annual festival and it was great to be able to use the new space,” he said.

“It’s about bringing the wider community together with a range of activities.”

The festival relied on about 40 volunteers who spent months planning and running the event. Orchard said their efforts helped galvanise the group, and a follow-up event will be held to thank them and plan improvements for next year.

Future stages of the revitalisation project will include a boardwalk and footpath along the riverbank.