Well, after years of thinking, I should go to one of these things one of these days, I finally bit the bullet and did so. I headed off to the Winter Magic Festival. And I have to say, it was really great.The official web site appears to have vanished, but I have left a link here in case it returns. There is also a flickr group where I have loaded some of my photos and where there are many other excellent shots.
For me, the day started finding a parking spot and wandering up to the main street. The path was watched over by this stern Kangaroo.
Around the corner on the main street was this little creature on the end of a tether. I presume it is a ferret. As I am not experienced at this type of photo, I took several shots, which I was then able to stitch together to show the critter attempting to escape.
The crowd in the main street was surprisingly big. I was expecting a slow start, but obviously the peoples of Katoomba are early risers.
A sign of things to come, there are knights on stilts wandering the streets, entertaining the locals.
I meet up with the Blue Mountains Flicker group. Some of us stop off to have a coffee and breakfast, while others race off to be official photographers and to listen to recorder music.
The main parade begins. This first shot is actually of this group heading back down the street after the parade. It was too crowded when they were in the parade itself. The crowd was more like a Tour De France crowd, there was almost not enough room for the parade to pass.
Pirates raid Katoomba.
The green people. There is another photo on the flickr site for the festival where they are sitting down like frogs ready to leap.
The dancers were very energetic.
The knight made his appearance.
There were skeletons and drag queens.
None of us have been able to work out this fellow. It was actually leading the parade.
Later, after the parade there were people resting and having lunch to the sounds of the jazz band.
Walking back down the main street, there are lots of stalls. (Well they were there before, but this time I have time to stop and look and buy.)
These girls were stopped by the stall keeper and were very bemused and obliging when he wanted to take their photos.
They seemed happy when I took this photo, but they look like they are arguing. I am confused.
There were also, lots of performers in the street. This didgeridoo including complete with small amp and electric guitar backing track.
A woman making animals out of balloons.
Our knight again. This time he is entertaining some children at the pub. The girls in the front knew he was brave and wanted to know if he was about to head off to save his princess. But he was more interested in posing as a tough guy to the children behind the tree.
A bunch of folk dancers with their own music. I was trying to get one of their small pamphlets, but was unable to do so. So I do not know who they were.
A group of children playing the drums. The girl in the front is passing around the hat. I gave some money. She was in this dreamy happy state.
Happy people were just wandering around the streets of Katoomba.
At the bottom of the street, I again meet up with the people from brunch. They have gathered some more into their clan and are chatting to every one they meet as they travel down the hill
These two shots are from the same photo. I love the reflection in the glasses on the right.
As I walk down the hill there are as many people, if not more, in the crowd who are part of the festival spirit as there are performers.
A witch.
At the top of the hill is the Titanic. Not sure what it is doing here, I was expecting that the next day, there would just be a huge hole in the ground. They say that the hotel is dressed up each year.
A man with sticks. In the background is a man with his head on fire. He is part of a union stand on work place relations.
There are photographers everywhere. I was surprised by the number and quality of the cameras. Clearly this is a great place to take photos.
But at the end of the day, this is a festival for the locals. And clearly they were having a good time.
Back at the top of the hill, I meet the others again and we stop to chat and have lunch.
Everyone loved to dress up and have photos taken.
Entertaining the tourists.
A parade of pets. They were somewhat exhausted and stressed from all the crowds of strange people, not to mention having to wear their best clothes.
On the way back to the car, a folourn glove, lost.
