Knox parties hard

By Ed Merrison
LAST week’s Knox Festival has been declared a huge success, with record crowds reported at the municipality’s premier community event.
Festival committee chairman councillor Karin Orpen said an estimated 25,000 people attended this year’s festival, which ran from Friday, 3 to Sunday, 5 March.
A record 3000 people were estimated to have attended Cinema Under the Stars at the Tim Neville Arboretum on the opening night.
“The beautiful weather encouraged the community to ‘come out and play’ on both days of the festival, where there was an incredible variety of activities and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy,” Cr Orpen said.
“There was a great demand for festival programs well ahead of the event, both in Knox and in neighbouring municipalities, which indicates the popularity of our festival event and the strength of its programming.”
Particularly successful this year were youth activities such as basketball, BMX and skateboarding demonstrations, aerosol art workshops and PBS FM’s DJ workshops.
Lysterfield Primary School won a visit from basketball legend and festival ambassador Andrew Gaze by taking out the “Come Out and Play” banner competition, while Kent Park won the People’s Choice Award.
Cr Orpen said Sunday’s concert, which featured a cultural program celebrating Commonwealth nations, was a real highlight of the festival.
“Once again, it was very gratifying to see so many community groups represented at the festival, a reminder of the great work they all do within our community,” she said.
The party continues for Knox residents, with the spirit of the Commonwealth coming to Knox O-Zone tomorrow in the form of Party Pacifica.
Set to be the biggest street party in Victoria, the Knox Commonwealth Games opening ceremony event kicks off at 6pm on Wednesday, 15 March.
Entertainment and non-stop dancing in honour of the Games will continue until 10.30pm, with Aboriginal, Maori and Cook Island performers, Caribbean steel drummers, a break-dancing crew, stilt walkers, fire artists and sporting demonstrations.
The 300-person Knox Commonwealth Choir, formed especially for the event, will perform six songs before a live cross on the big screen to the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony at the MCG at 8.30pm.
Knox mayor David Cooper said the council was proud to be able to present Party Pacifica in conjunction with Melbourne 2006.
“I invite Knox and other eastern region residents to join us at Knox O-Zone to celebrate our Commonwealth heritage and the opening ceremony together,” he said.