Queensland Government sponsors 15th annual Big Talk One Fire Festival

The 15th annual Big Talk One Fire Festival, run by UMI Arts and being held today in Cairns has been given $10,000 from the Queensland Government as part of their ongoing support for First Nations art, music and dance.

The annual event has grown from humble beginnings in 2009 to become a vibrant festival of arts, crafts and performances in Fogarty Park each year.

Big Talk One Fire is a free, family-friendly event that brings together a concert with headlining and supporting local Indigenous bands, traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance, and pop-up Indigenous market stalls. This event aims to showcase and promote the best of Far North Queensland cultures to a large and varied audience.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Minister Craig Crawford advises “the name UMI comes from a Creole word meaning ‘you and me’.

“And UMI Arts is all about working together to keep culture strong through arts and crafts, ceremony, dance, storytelling and music.

“That’s what the Big Talk One Fire Festival is all about – people coming together to celebrate and nurture First Nations art and culture.

“My department is proud to have supported this event with sponsorship of $10,000 this year, and I know the Cairns Regional Council have also been strong supporters of the Festival.”

Minister Crawford said it was important to recognise the long history of First Nations cultures, art and music.