By Corey Everitt
Approaching its 49th festival, Pakenham’s own long-running answer to Moomba is calling on the community to make it bigger than ever.
The staple of the Yakkerboo Festival is its parade, formerly running along Main Street and know running on the footpath around PB Ronald Reserve.
Unfortunately, the festival committee announced that with just a month to go, few participants have signed up for this year’s parade.
The parade was brought back in its new form last year, following a public outcry for its return after it was missed in 2023.
Yakkerboo Vice-President, Sandra Evans is asking for the community to show love for the local parade once again.
“We haven’t got many participants at this time, we are looking for community groups, schools, kinders and local businesses to join the parade,” she said.
“We are encouraging the local community to jump on board.”
Yakkerboo Festival has been running since 1976 as the titular event for celebrating local art and culture alongside exciting rides and spectacular displays like the evening fireworks.
“It’s a great opportunity to get your business noticed, you will be supporting the Yakkerboo Festival as it approaches 50 years, where we want it bigger than ever,” Evans said.
Started in 1976, Yakkerboo is believed to be derived from the Indigenous language to mean ‘greener pastures’.
Mr Yakkerboo, the mascot created by a local teacher, has become an iconic symbol in Pakenham despite bearing a question-mark-shaped tail which signifies the mystery of what the creature even is.
For the 49th festival, there will be a host of fun rides, animals to pet, and fireworks that will awe.
This year features $15 wristbands that give unlimited access to all rides on the Sunday of the weekend event.
Yakkerboo Festival will be held on Saturday evening 26 April from 4pm to 8.30pm and on Sunday 27 April from 10am to 4pm.
The walking parade will be held at 10am on the Sunday.
To register for the parade fill out the form at this link: forms.gle/kt7qf5LkNQQPjKaN9
You can enquire further about the parade by emailing: yakkerboo.community.parade@gmail.com
