Highlights of the Ocean Street World Festival
Over 50,000 people flocked to the seventh Ocean Street World Festival on Easter Sunday to embrace the incredible sights, sounds and tastes of Australia’s largest free cultural event, and once again we made sure we were part of this amazing festival.
Cold Storage for Festivals and Events
Kleer Cold Room Hire and Kleer Ice Supplies have provided the ice machines, mobile cold rooms, freezer rooms, ice machines, fridges, cabinets and ice to the majority of the restaurants on Ocean Street for many years now and we have also provided cold storage solutions to the festival itself since it began in 2011.
Run by the nonprofit Maroochydore Revitalisation Association, it is designed to mark Ocean Street as an artistic and cultural hub for the entire region and we’re very proud to support this local event as a business.
This year the event took place across five stages, with 30 local and international acts taking to the spotlight, including the mesmerizing flamenco/electronica fusion of Tijuana Cartel (our personal favourite) and the irresistible Latin big band sound of Chukale. If we weren’t enjoying tasty treats or purchasing crafts from the 100+ stalls that lined the streets, we were dancing to high-energy Samba music, marvelling at roaming performers or playing with our kids in a zone jam-packed with magic shows, pirate acts, snake handlers, balloon artists and more. The atmosphere was electric, and it was a fantastic way to spend Easter Sunday this year!
Drawn Together Maroochydore
At the end of the festival, world-class artist Thomas Jackson transformed the graffiti-tagged alleyway of 37 Duporth into an underwater wonderland as part of the Drawn Together Maroochydore initiative to spread an ocean conservation message and decrease graffiti.
Festival Manager and owner of Machu Picchu South American Restaurant and Bar, Nigel Jackson, described the day as, “Busy, busy, busy! Beginning at 10am and winding up some 14 hours later, a whirlwind of people, sights and sounds and an infectious enthusiasm from everyone involved and attending”. We couldn’t agree more!
“Hugely positive atmosphere with not one police incident all day”, he said. Which is pretty amazing for a crowd of over 50,000 on the Sunshine Coast!
“Ocean Street World Festival is a vital part of the calendar each year. It is by far our biggest trading day and showcases the street at its best — a great marketing tool. It was a fantastic event this year, run really well with strong support from traders, community members and sponsors”, he said.
Community Involvement
One thing Nigel would like to see for 2019 is community organisations getting on board with collection buckets to ensure gold coin donations are maximised and profits can flow back into organisations like the RFS and SLSC.
Other major contributors of the event included Dimitris Limnatitis, owner of Solbar; Old Soul, The Piano Bar and La Canteena; Alex Johns from Solbar, Old Soul and La Canteena; Scott Hoskins, owner of Junk and Hello Harry; and John Calcino, owner of The Post Office Bar and Restaurant.
If you think your business or event could benefit from a mobile cold storage solution, Kleer Cold Room Hire and Ice Supplies can supply you with the very best. And you won’t get help from a friendlier place, guaranteed! Just contact us on 07 5479 3788 or email us at info@kleercoldroomhire.com.au for more information or a quote.