Australian Idol winner Royston Noell to grace Cairns stage for UMI Arts’ Big Talk One Fire

An Australian Idol winner and Indigenous Far North creatives will take to the stage in Cairns for one of the region’s biggest First Nations festivals.

Australian Idol winner Royston Noell will take the stage at Munro Martin Parklands for UMI Arts’ Big Talk One Fire festival on Saturday, September 7.

Originally from Mapoon in Cape York, Mr Noell will headline the festival’s jam-packed line up, with around 3000 people expected to attend the free event.

The festival will feature Indigenous arts, dance and music performances from across the Far North.

UMI Arts corporate manager Erick Kasukanu said he was pleased to include Cape York musician and Australian Idol winner Royston Noel as this year’s headliner.

Australian Idol winner Royston Noell from Cape York will take the stage at Munro Martin Park for Big Talk One Fire on Saturday, September 7. Photo: Cybele Malinowski.

“We’re really excited to be able to lock down the 2023 Australia Idol winner, Royston Noell,” Mr Kasukanu said.

“But along with him, we have so many other cultural performers, because it’s for us, bringing back the culture, so we’ve got performers from the Cape and the Torres Strait.”

Dancers, artists and musicians from all over the Far North, including Boigu Island, Saibai Island, Lockhart River, Aurukun, Hopevale and more.

UMI Arts’ Artistic Director Lisa Michl Ko-manggén said the festival was a great way for the community to interact with Indigenous culture.

UMI Arts will present the 17th Big Talk One Fire festival at Munro Martin Parklands, a celebration of indigenous culture, music, dance and food and yarning. Gregory Dick of the Yimbala dancers, Amanda Nicholson of Feasty Foodz Torres Strait Islander cuisine, Herbert Yunkaporta of Fire Justiz, Barbra Drummond and her daughter Surum Aniba, 3, of Black Pearl indigenous catering and Tamara Pearson of the Barefoot Ballerinas and the Yimbala dancers, will all bring their own storylines to the festival, held at Munro Martin Parklands on Saturday. Picture: Brendan Radke

“I think it’s a great opportunity for people to come along so that they can experience authentic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and sharing our stories,” Ms Ko-manggen said.

Hopevale dancer and director of Second Creations Dance Company Tamara Pearson will showcase her dance group The Barefoot Ballerina’s at the festival.

“In the past we focused on a lot of traditional dancing but the little ones, they quite enjoy watching Miss Emma from The Wiggles so they really wanted to do some ballet,” Ms Pearson said.

“During Covid, they started to learn via Zoom and it’s just progressed to this point where we are now creating songs in our local tongue and also performing and singing to their language, and doing ballet, contemporary as well as mixing it up with traditional dancing as well.”

Big Talk One Fire will run from 3pm to 9pm on September 7.

Originally published as Australian Idol winner Royston Noell to grace Cairns stage for UMI Arts’ Big Talk One Fire