Circus festival opens in Karridale

Thousands of people are expected to enjoy family friendly circus fun at the 2013 Western Australian Circus Festival at Karridale during the Australia Day long weekend.
Western Australian Tourism Minister Kim Hames said the festival would bring together local, national and international circus performers.
Dr Hames explains "the festival blends traditional circus elements with contemporary acrobatics, street theatre, comedy and cabaret, with a strong focus on aesthetic impacts, story development, innovative lighting and colourful costumes.
"It also provides great value for families, who can purchase weekend tickets which not only entitle them to 36 hours of circus entertainment over the three days, but also include free camping onsite in Karridale."
Dr Hames said the Western Australian Government was proud to support the WA Circus Festival through Eventscorp's Regional Event Scheme, which was jointly funded by Royalties for Regions, adding "the scheme supports events that add vibrancy to regional WA, increase visitation and attract valuable media attention."
Western Australian Regional Development Minister Brendon Grylls said he was delighted that Royalties for Regions funding was supporting this community event.
Minister Grylls stated "events are an important part of regional life. They engage locals, entice visitors and make a valuable contribution to building strong, sustainable communities."

Applications for Western Australia's 2013-14 Regional Events Scheme (RES), for events that fall between 1st July 2013 and 30th June 2014, are currently being sought.

The RES is an annual funding round administered by Tourism WA, through its Eventscorp division, and jointly funded by Tourism WA and the Western Australian Department of Regional Development and Lands through its Royalties for Regions program.

The scheme is designed to assist with the development of events as tourist attractions within regional Western Australia.

Submissions for 2013-14 funding need to be made by 4th February 2013.

For details go to

http://www.tourism.wa.gov.au/events/pages/regional_events.aspx