Ingham Marks 99 Years Of The Festival Of St Anthony

The town of Ingham has become iconic for a number of events: the Italian-Australia Festival, the Maraka Festival, and St Anthony’s Feast Day- which will be celebrated on Sunday 14^th June in the small hamlet of Bemerside, on the north-eastern side of Ingham.

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This year marks the Feast Day’s 99^th year of being celebrated, occurring annually since 13^th of June 1927 on the grounds where the church of St Anthony stands.  

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This year’s festival program begins at 11am on Sunday 14^th June, with Mass in St Anthony’s church. Mass, and the choir’s hymns, will be performed in both English and Italian.

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The service will be followed by an afternoon fete, with beautiful lunch offerings at a large variety of food stalls, and competitions with prizes up for grabs. There is a licenced bar for refreshment, and a wine stall, along with a popular stall offering various mementoes of St Anthony and other religious icons.

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St Anthony is known as the patron saint of children, and to honour St Anthony’s passion, children attending the festival can enjoy a free jumping castle.

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Live entertainment throughout the afternoon from one of Ingham’s celebrated entertainers will also bring colour to the day’s festivities.

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At 2pm the statue of St Anthony will be placed on a Vara and at 2.30pm the parish priest will lead the procession of people on the main road (closed to traffic for this activity) from St Anthony’s church for 600 metres. The rosary will be recited in both English and Italian and hymns will also be sung throughout this procession.  

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On completion of the procession people will gather around the front of the church to witness the blessing of the children. St Anthony’s bread will be distributed for all attendees to enjoy in a symbol of unity, peace and community.  

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This will conclude the formal part of the day, however people may continue to stay on for delicious food, beverages, 500 club draws, monster raffle prize draws and live entertainment. All stalls will have cash and card facilities available.

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The parish of St Anthony welcomes people of all faiths to attend this festival to mark community, goodwill and continuing commitment to peace and unity.

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