Press Release

One day to go!

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FINAL PRESS RELEASE Robert Burns Celtic Festival 2024 The 2024 Robert Burns Celtic Festival is here and Camperdown in winter time is a great opportunity to put your hat and coat on and join in this wonderful Winter Festival.  The ABC Back Roads crew will be in town filming the RBCF Festival and Camperdown. This opportunity is a wonderful way to showcase and celebrate our town and community. You can also come in to The Loaf and Lounge on Friday morning from 6.30-9am for his ABC live broadcast, with festival interviews… and help us to sing The Skye Boat Song! Festival Chairperson Dr John Menzies OAM said “The new look festival has something for everyone”.  The festival kicks off with a Movie at the Killara centre on Thursday night, with ‘Wild Mountain Thyme, an Irish Romantic comedy.   On Friday The Gala Dinner at the Theatre Royal has sold out this year but don’t worry there …

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Burns festival introduces new choir and choral events

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The Robert Burns Celtic Festival will be hosting a brand new event as part of this year’s festival, a friendly Celtic choir competition and concert. Patrons are invited to be in the audience and cast a vote for your favourite choir. The competition and concert will be held from 10.30am – 2.15pm Saturday 22 June 2024 at Theatre Royal. $10 Tickets are available online, at Laffs or at the door. Children under 18 – free. Our panel of judges will be voting on the “Most Celtic” choir and presenting winners of all categories with trophies” A newly formed Camperdown based choir, known as the Corangamite Celtic Choir, will also be performing.  Angela Preiss is delighted with the newly formed Choir who are meeting weekly to learn new songs. Over 120 choristers will join in with our own Choir said Jennifer Bromeley said who is co-ordinating the competition.  Visiting Choirs are Ein cioil from Geelong, the …

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2024 Robert Burns Camperdown Celtic Festival

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From 2024 Camperdown’s Iconic Robert Burns Scottish Festival will be re-branded as the Robert Burns Celtic Festival and held on 21st – 23rd of June, 2024. Enjoyment of Robert Burns artistry, and appreciation of his independent philosophy saw enthusiastic embracement amongst his Celtic neighbours, especially the Irish in the 18th and 19th Centuries.  Given the substantial Scottish and Irish migration to South West Victoria in the 19th century  the Festival committee has chosen to adjust describing its festival to reflect this, hence we now have a new name that captures Burns Beyond Scotland ‘The 2024 Camperdown Robert Burns Celtic Festival’. This change to a Celtic festival expands our ability to include performers from Ireland, Wales and England while retaining connections to regular Scottish performers. The Robert Burns Celtic Festival is a winter literary and music festival, celebrating Scotland’s national Poet and the Celtic culture in poetry, song, music and dance, in and around the historic buildings of Camperdown. Dr John Menzies OAM, Chair …

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Press Release – Robert Burns Scottish Festival 2023 Wrap

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Dr John Menzies, OAM said “the Festival was a great success this year with a full festival program including free events and ticketed events on offer proved to be a great combination for patrons and visitors to Camperdown, lots of people took advantage of the festival events, venues were well full and well patronised. The hard work in planning and putting the festival has meet all of our expectations”. The 2023 Robert Burns Scottish Festival committee presented a successful weekend. The festival kicked off with the Movie ‘Falling for Figaro’ on Thursday night. On Friday evening 100 guests came to the Gala Dinner featuring a sumptuous Scottish meal including the Address to the Haggis given by festival performer Fiona Ross, who later performed a wonderful selection of Traditional Scottish song, Merran Moir played the small pipes and son Kyle Moir played the bag pipes. Hugh and Janet Gordon also entertained the patrons. Strip the Willow …

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29 JUNE – 2 JULY 2023 ROBERT BURNS SCOTTISH FESTIVAL WEEKEND

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29 JUNE – 2 JULY 2023 ROBERT BURNS SCOTTISH FESTIVAL WEEKEND IS PROMISING TO BE A GREAT FESTIVAL WITH A FULL PROGRAM OF EVENTS. Tickets Available Now: https://www.trybooking.com/CICVY $60 Weekend Ticket (excludes Gala Dinner & Lectures – includes entry to 4 concerts – 3 Saturday, and Finale on Sunday, value $100)$35 Saturday Day Ticket (includes entry to 3 concerts – morning, afternoon and evening, value $75)$25 Single Entry$25 Saturday – Lecture Series$80 Friday – Night Gala Dinner$5 Thursday – Movie Night ‘ Falling for Figaro’Suggested Donation $15 – Saturday Ploughman’s Lunch with Unicorn Tapestry, limited spaces.FREE – Festival Choir FREE – Sunday Morning Concert – Gathering @ The BardFREE – Family Show with Eric ReadFREE – Kid’s Activities, Highland Dancing demonstrations & more… read on for full program details, including the school’s program, cooking classes, golf tournament and shortbread baking competition. For further information please contact Catherine O’Flynn RBSF Co-ordinator on 0407 056 126Connect: camperdownburnsfestival.com and facebook.com/robertburnsfestival Festival Chairperson, Dr …

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Sunday 23 January 2022 Burns Birthday Event

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The 2022 Camperdown Robert Burns Scottish Festival is Celebrating Scotland’s famous Bard in the Camperdown Botanic Gardens on Sunday January 23rd.  The Gardens once home to our Statue of Robbie Burns will be hosting a Family friendly event marking his birthdate.  Dr John Menzies OAM said, “It is a happy coincidence that James Dawson’s son- in-law William Taylor gifted the 1831 Greenshields statue of Robert Burns to the Camperdown Community which has been the inspiration for the present Robert Burns Scottish Festival. This event is kick starting our 2022 festival and has been hosted in the Gardens for a number of years with folk coming along to enjoy our beautiful gardens in Camperdown”. Dr John Menzies OAM said “the RBSF committee is hosting the event and will be held with the current Covid guidelines including QR Codes on entry and proof of double vaccination” Live music in the gardens and entertainment from 4.00 pm including musicians Luke Plumb and …

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The Robert Burns Scottish Festival School Children’s Art Competition was held in local schools during last term.

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Previous Next Children from St Pats Primary, Camperdown College, St Thomas Primary and Terang College entered their Art works based on Robert Burns poem “To a Mouse”  Over 200 entries were judged by Jo Kenna and her helpers Penny and Pam.  Co-ordinator of the RBSF Schools program Caroline Menzies was thrilled with the entries and the children’s interpretation of Burns poem, and the great work teachers put into supporting the children.  “Prep, grade 1 and grade 2 students portrayed their favourite animals and how the care for them their art work included colourful drawings and paintings of mice, chickens and bees.  The Grade 3 to 6 students listened to and interpreted the poem “To a Mouse” and produced some very thoughtful and vivid art works Mrs Menzies said.” The Children’s Art work will be displayed in local shop windows in Camperdown and Terang during the School holidays and the committee would like to thank Jacinta …

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September RBSF Weekend Events Cancelled

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Camperdown’s Robert Burns Scottish Festival [RBSF] September event cancelled for a 2nd Year due to Covid-19 Delta Strain and current state of affairs. The Camperdown 2021 Robert Burns Scottish Festival has been cancelled.  Chairperson Dr John Menzies OAM said “due to continuing uncertainty and extended lockdown with restrictions, the festival committee has cancelled the remaining events of the RBSF for 2021.”   The organising committee delivered components of the festival, known as` Burns Bites’, in July, these ‘bites’  proved to be very successful and were well patronised. It was planned to move the main event to September.  It is now evident with that we cannot do this now because of the current outbreak in Victoria, “This pandemic has been fast moving, impacting many communities such that most Events and Festivals have had to be cancelled.  The Communities’ Public Safety, health and wellbeing will improve in the coming months once folk have been immunised and we obtain a high level of immunity.” Dr Menzies said. …

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RBSF July 2021 Weekend Cancelled

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Continuing uncertainty over Covid-19 restrictions and the unavailability of Camperdown’s Theatre Royal complex for performances has led the organisers of Camperdown’s Robert Burns  Scottish Festival to reconsider the structure of this year’s program and they have come up with an innovative solution which hopefully will have the support of patrons. The events of the 2-3-4th of July will be spread out to safe times in Spring, and the pre-existing performance commitments at Darlington’s Public Hall -19thJune, and Terang’s Commercial Hotel – 1stJuly – will go ahead as planned. Paid-up ticket holders will be offered the option of a refund or may opt to use their ticket to attend the deferred events. So the 2021 Robert Burns Scottish Festival will be a novel series of “Burns’ Bites” and it is hoped that supporters will be sympathetic and supportive of these changes which the organisers have been reluctant to make. The golf will go ahead as planned on …

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RBSF2021 Brett Clarke performing and working in School’s Program

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Brett Clarke Bio – Kirrae Whurrung Tribe – Born 1977 A fundamental belief of the RBSF committee is that while we are contributing to our local Australian culture that has imported/colonial feature it is most important that we respect and engage with the culture of the first people of Australia. Dr Menzies said “we’re very pleased to announce that Brett Clarke, a member of the Kirrae Whurrung Tribe, will be working with the local School Children to teach them a local language song to perform at our Festival Finale Concert to celebrate our shared history and NAIDOC week”. Brett’s Bio: From early childhood, I spent much of my time with my late Grandfather, who taught me much of our cultural history of the Kirrae Whurrung Tribe. Pop was an expert at wood carving and showed me and my brother Crispian how to use the tomahawk and rough rasp to make spears, boondi’s, carved snakes, and …

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