The Ukitopia Festival on the weekend has left the Uki Community and the Ukitopia Arts Collective organising committee bathing in happiness and ecstatic at the success of the event.

The intention of the event was to celebrate all aspects of the Uki life arts and culture and with hundreds of the Uki and district people coming out and participating in all aspects of the vibrant program, the intention was very clearly realised. The event far surpassed volunteer event organiser Natascha Wernick’s expectations. “ I received so many thank you ‘ s over the weekend, I was overwhelmed by the end!” .

 Although the committee had applied for various grants for the festival, none were received. This meant the festival had to rely on the Uki community to come forward and donated generously for this free event. And donate they did, with the festival breaking even. Many of the Uki businesses donated generously including  Happy High Herbs, Uki Real Estate,  The Mount Warning Hotel , Studio 9 , and the Uki General Store, Chemist and Bakery and Re’s Intrigues.

The event was also aimed at encouraging as many of Uki’s groups to get involved and as a result the Uki Public School jumped on board with the Eco Expo- highlighting the region’s sustainable businesses, the Uki Kids Club :OOSH providing a day full of carefully considered children’s activities, the Historical society with a historical display , the Rural Fire Brigade and the Uki Resident’s association.

Saturday afternoon’s music encouraged Uki‘s youth to come out and experience the glory of their peers with youth musicians Lacey, Right Left of Centre and James Higgins taking the stage.

The younger children who were not painting gourds and flags and making lanterns were kept entranced by Dudley and Falcon’s magic show and Rainbow Eagle Sparkle land, showing the children how to be caretakers of the land.

The opening ceremony on Saturday afternoon was a major highlight of the festival. Organizer Natascha Wernick sang out some of the many community’s wishes that had been woven into the wishing wall. Natascha was soon backed up by a stage full of the Uki’s most talented musicians including Deya Dova, Sue Mckenna and Loren who helped Natascha launch the communities’ wishes and open the festival. The crowd of about 300-400 were all on their feet singing the wishes out or dancing to the awesome beat.

Natascha then lead the rich pulsing crowd into the Images of Uki Arts exhibition in the Uki hall where the crowd were treated to an art exhibition from the Local Uki community, a huge and imaginative variety of works, many of which had sold by the end of the weekend.

The night was filled with people dancing under the stars to Mystic Beast, Imandan and PJ Pulse or experiencing an exquisite concert in the Anglican Church gig featuring four of this region’s top indie signer songwriters, Josie Forest, Andrea Soler, Richard Bell and Loren.

And that was just Saturday!

 Sunday with the Buttery Bazaar markets the Eco Expo and the Art and Music the crowd doubled. The Pitts Family circus left the crowd in stitches and Deya Dova managed to get a huge crowd up dancing in the 31degree heat.

One of the highlights for the Sunday was the Elder’s tent. This space dedicated to the elders of our community both indigenous and non indigenous. They had microphones and held the space like an interview session with community members able to ask all kinds of questions, like” how did you make butter when you were young? ‘’.

Uncle Harry the indigenous Elder from the area and the non- indigenous Ida Daley marked the event as reconciliation. The first time members of the two tribes had come together.

 Recover first and then do it all again next year! 

 Photos, audio and video of the event are all available. Keep up to date with other news for Ukitopia through: ukitopiaartscollective.wordpress.com , twitter , Facebook, or www.myspace.com/ukitopiaartscollective.