If you are looking for something to do or if you are travelling around our region, put Guyra’s Lamb and Potato Festival on your map.
Boasting good food and great company, Guyra is celebrating 37 years of hosting this growing festival with vendors rolling in today, ready for the real fun to kick off tomorrow, Wednesday 18th January 2024.
“The festival runs from the 18th to the 28th of January, with elevens days jam packed full of events, activities and of course food,” said Steve Mepham, President Guyra Lamb and Potato Festival.
“Our last weekend is our big weekend with our car show and shine, our military and models planes will join us, and we have the Australia Day flag raising ceremony.”
The region is expected to swell as travelers make roads to the Tamworth Country Music Festival, and the Guyra is no exception, set to benefit off their neighbour’s success.
“The Tamworth Country Music Festival adds to the success of our festival over these years,” said Steve.
“We start a day before and go until the day after and so we get a lot of the public travelling to and from Tamworth.”
“But we also know a lot of people take a day off from Tamworth, especially if its hot, they come up to the Lamb and Potato Festival for a day or two.”
“We are an add-on to their festival, not the competition.”
Visitors can expect to find the old-time favourites as well as new additions to this year’s stallholder line up, with 30 stallholders ready to set up camp.
“We have a turnover of about 50 percent of our stallholders, we lost a few through COVID that went out of the industry and so, we have some new stuff coming now that we haven’t seen before, that will certainly be something to look forward too.” said Steve.
And once you are all shopped out sit down and enjoy a feed and entertainment, with something sure to please everyone.
“We have music every lunchtime and every evening and they are all different acts and different artists, with around 20 shows.” said Steve.
The Name, The Legacy
It might be called the Guyra Lamb and Potato Festival, but there is so much more than just sheep and spud.
“It’s all in the history, it started out as producers with a barbeque and a caravan to promote their industry, but now we have things like tomatoes, and more.” said Steve.
“We have tried to capture all of it without making the name too big, but we will keep it as it is and promote the diversification of produce we now have.”
With the small town of around two thousand people, accommodation is scarce, but it is well worth a day trip even if you can’t stay.
“Our car show normally gets up to 200 cars, so it is quite the show for a country town.”
“It is hard to predict exact numbers, but as the main food vendors we anticipate we will see around 30,000 people over the duration.”
“Someone is buying all of that food.”
And while the festival may only run for eleven days, the vital economic injection is felt all year round, and greatly appreciated.
“The biggest boost to the Guyra economy is the distribution of the profit from our gazebo, that goes out to all of the community groups that help us to put it on.” Said Steve.
“We have 35 different community groups that put up their hand to do a shift and at the end of the festival it is around $1000 per community group in town, and for most that is their major fundraiser for the year.”
“Come and have a look around, have a train ride, and come and support our town and producers,” said Steve.
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