More 7000 beanies expected as final preparations under way for 2024 Beanie Festival
A beloved Red Centre festival is back and promises to be bigger than ever. See a sneak peak of how the Beanie Festival is shaping up.
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Hours out from opening day, dozens of volunteers are hurriedly hanging thousands of beanies in preparation for a beloved Red Centre festival.
The 28th Alice Springs Beanie Festival kicks off on Friday at Witchetty’s in the Araluen Arts Centre.
And according to acting chief beanieologist Tom Nixon this year’s festival is set to have a record amount of beanies.
“We’re pushing 7300, with beanies still being catalogued,” Mr Nixon said.
“So a final number will come out in the coming days but we’ve broken records already.”
By lunchtime on Thursday, Witchetty’s had been transformed into a beanie haven – and there were plenty more to hang.
Vice chair of the Alice Springs Beanie Festival Deborah White said 520 beanie makers were involved in this year’s event, and they were expecting about 120 volunteers to help out.
“Each year it just seems to grow and grow and grow,” she said.
“We have more beanie makers, we have more sales, we have more people come to the beanie festival to check us out, we have more volunteers.”
Last year chief beanieologist Jo Nixon said she believed the festival had become the biggest of its kind in the world.
“We think we’re the biggest beanie festival in the world, that’s what we claim, and nobody has ever claimed otherwise,” she said.
The 2024 Alice Springs Beanie Festival kicks off Friday June 21 at 10am and runs until 5pm Monday, June 24.
Opening night will feature entertainment from The Carp Factory, Paul Ah Chee and the Kisses under the big beanie, which starts at 5.30pm.
Entry is a gold coin donation.
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