Excitement grows as Dayboro Day returns

Market stalls, live music, children’s rides, a petting zoo, grand street parade, waterless raft race and even a pineapple pie eating competition are just some of the highlights locals and visitors can look forward to at this year’s Dayboro Day Festival and Antique and Collectables Fair.

After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic and last year’s floods, the iconic festival is scheduled to return on Sunday, May 28.

More than 115 market and food stalls are expected to take over the heart of the township for the festival, which will run from 8.30am-3pm.

In addition, more than 20 antique vendors will set up their stalls in the pavilions at the Dayboro Showgrounds.

Speaking to Moreton Daily, Festival Coordinator Ian Coman says this year’s festival is not to be missed.

“There is going to be so much to see and do at this year’s event,” Ian says.

“The town has really got behind the event to make sure that everyone who comes along has a good time.

“There are going to be lots of market stalls, live music, and lots of amazing food. This year we will have Asian dumplings, calamari, chicken wings, brisket, ribs, twisted potatoes and coffee, just to name a few.

“We will have lots of local artists, handmakers and artisans selling their goods.

“We will have local honey makers selling honey, we will have our own Cobble Creek soy candle makers, members of the Mt Mee Fire Brigade will be here, the Mt Mee school will have a load of firewood to auction, the RSL will be hosting a good old-fashioned sausage sizzle, and much more.

“The grand parade will begin at 10am and afterwards, once everyone has walked down, we will have the official opening ceremony with all the local dignitaries.”

Tasty competition a hit with the crowd

For Amanda MacDonald, watching a group of people try and eat a family pie without the use of their hands is one of the funniest parts of the festival.

As owner of The Dayboro Bakery, Amanda sponsors the annual pineapple pie eating competition, which she says always has the crowd in fits of laughter.

“The pineapple pie eating competition is one of those nice moments in the whole proceedings where people can sit back and have a really good laugh,” Amanda explains.

“We get people from the audience to join in the competition, and we often throw in one of our staff members as well. They then have to compete against each other to eat the pie while their hands are behind their back.

“The pies are in aluminum trays, and once they get down to the last few bites of the pie, you see the trays moving all around the table and then competitors end up eating other people’s pies.

“Plus, the pies are covered in mock cream, so it gets very messy.”

In case you are thinking of entering, there are two categories - a junior category and a senior category.

As one of the largest employers in the Dayboro region, Amanda says it’s important to support community events like this.

“We have 32 staff in the bakery, so it’s important that we support great events like this. We love to sponsor the pineapple pie eating competition, as well as other various community initiatives.

A glimpse into the past

The Antique and Collectables Fair is another big part of the day and will give visitors the opportunity to see a wide range of old furniture, clocks, porcelain, paintings, cameras and more.

“The previous coordinator Tom Williams, who has a local antique shop here in the district, developed the event to a new level where it is now a sought-after fair,” Ian says.

People who have antiques at home will also be able to bring in their items for an appraisal.

While the festival in the main part of Dayboro is free for families to attend, entry to the Antique and Collectables Fair will be $8 per person payable at the entry gate. Children under the age of 16 with a paying guardian will be free.

Grateful for community support

Members of the Dayboro District Progress Association Inc have worked tirelessly to bring this festival back to life, thanks to support from local businesses and townspeople.

Their mission was to keep the Dayboro Day Festival a free event for all to enjoy amid the current cost-of-living crisis.

Through the generous sponsorship of local businesses, donations from community members and council grants, the town rallied together to finance the festival overheads required to stage an event of this scale.

Bendigo Bank Samford is the major sponsor of the event. Senior Branch Manager Mandy Bell says the bank is committed to giving back to the local community.

“Dayboro Day is something that has been going on forever (since 1982) and we have sponsored the last three that were held,” Mandy says.

“We look after and support about 160 community groups in the Samford, Dayboro and Pine Rivers areas.

“A lot of my staff will come down on the day, and our piggy mascot will take part in the parade.”

Gold Sponsors of the Dayboro Day Festival and Antique and Collectables Fair are Craig Doyle from Craig Doyle Real Estate, Stacey Martin from The Dayboro Drop, Donna Lalonde from Bell Property and Geoff and Karen Gear from Homeloans Made Easy.

Additional sponsors include Dayboro Pharmacy, Me Property Sales, Loan Market, Croc Sheds, Laceys Hill Distilling Co, IGA, Kawsay Conscious, Dayboro Grapevine, Heathwood Concreting, Peppermint Marketing and Design, and the Moreton Bay Regional Council.

The official photographers of the day will be Kayleen Sheppard and Carlie Wheeler.

Parking and registration

People who plan on attending the Dayboro Day Festival and Antique and Collectables Fair will be asked to park at the Dayboro Showgrounds, with four shuttle buses running throughout the day bringing people to Mackenzie St.

The buses have been donated by Brisbane Bus Lines.

Disabled parking will be available in the small carpark next to the Dayboro swimming pool.

While this is a free event, organisers have asked people to register their attendance via Eventbrite which will help with collecting data on the number of people who attend and ensuring vendors have enough stock.