A STAR OR TWO: Armidale’s Vietnamese community took part in the parade. 160313GRB05
A LASER light show, grand parade and country fair were just some of the events that dazzled audiences at Armidale’s Autumn Festival at the weekend.
Thousands turned out for the annual three-day event, which marks the beginning of the new season and slow transition of the city’s trees from vivid greens to blazes of orange.
The festival also coincided with the Campus to City Canter, the Australian Wool Fashion Awards and Legends of League football match.
It finished up with the Armidale Race Day yesterday which saw most local businesses take a half-day off to enjoy.
The festival began with a new laser light show on Friday night.
Replacing the traditional firework display and lasting for 20 minutes, organisers say thousands turned up to catch the show.
During the performance, beams of colourful light danced over a projection of one of the town’s ponds.
Saturday morning kicked off with the annual Campus to City marathon that sees the fittest athletes run from the University of New England campus all the way to the city centre.
Then it was back to the ntertainment portion of the festival as the Armidale City Band played while residents and visitors bought bacon-and-egg breakfasts.
By midday, thousands of people lined the streets for the grand parade.
Autumn Festival co-ordinator Stephanie Kentish said 66 floats were among the assortment of parade entries, including walking groups and marching bands.
“There was lots of colour and lots to see,” Ms Kentish said.
A country-style fair had also been set up in the city’s central park and markets were held daily.
The Autumn Festival’s committee of 10 had been working hard to get everything organised for the past couple of months and Ms Kentish said all their planning had paid off.
She said everyone played their part during the festival and the weather was great, with not a drop of rain.
