Saturday March 2nd

Wardell River Festival

Wardell River Festival 2024

On behalf of Wardell CORE we would like to thank the Wardell community and extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation for the involvement and investment in the Wardell River Festival to all our partners, supporters, volunteers and participants. Your support contributed immensely to the success of this event, and we cannot thank you enough for your generosity.

The Wardell River Festival was a resounding success, with approximately 450 punters visiting throughout the afternoon. The kayaking adventure, which allowed over 30 participants to experience the beauty of the Richmond River and Bingal Creek wetlands, was particularly well-received. Additionally, 60 community members had the pleasure of enjoying a sunset river cruise along the Richmond River, further enhancing the festival's appeal.

We are incredibly grateful for the invaluable contribution of the volunteers from the Ballina on Richmond Rotary Club and their supporters who worked tirelessly to make this day a memorable and enjoyable experience for all attendees. Their partnership has been instrumental in the success of this event, and we eagerly anticipate the opportunity to collaborate with this great team for next years event.
Looking ahead, we are excited to begin planning for next year's festival and welcome your involvement. Together, we can work towards making the Wardell River Festival even bigger and better, creating lasting memories and strengthening our community bonds.

If you would like to be involved in planning, preparing and running this community event, please get in touch :

contact Joel Orchard - Project lead

wardellcore@gmail.com or 0424 73 8899

Kayak Adventure

Reconnect with the river and get a new perspective.

If you have your own kayak or canoe then come along.  We are encouraging everyone who can paddle to join in.

Be ready to launch 8am

Live Music

on Richmond Street

WASABI PEAS AND THE BLEEDING TONGUES 1:30

STANDARD DEVIATION 2:30

RIVER DRIVE 4:00

KERRIANNE COX 5:30

THE WHISKEYS 7:00

River Cruise

with Out of the Blue Adventures

Enjoy a trip upriver with the end of the day's light dancing on the water and the river’s abundant wildlife getting ready to call it a night. 

There will be three trips available with a maximum of 20 passengers per trip.

4pm, 4:40pm and 5:20pm

Kids Activities

Free screen printing workshop with local artist Jude White at Wardell CORE. We will be creating artworks featuring designs from our Wardell Youth Project. Come along between 1 and 4 pm

We will have the Resilient Kids team from @socialfutures running a bead making workshop and creating a sculpture

Food and Drinks $2

Wood Fire Pizza by Wardell CORE from 4pm onwards

Big BBQ by Rotary Club of Ballina on Richmond 3pm onwards

Nat’s Coffee Cart

Hot Popcorn