Warmed Up and Chilled Out… Frost and Fire 2021 🔥
What do Dragon Boats, Jon Snow and the Winter Solstice have in common…?
After a year off, Frost and Fire came back bigger and better to wow crowds and give them a night to remember.
More Covid news and the threat of wet weather looming in the days leading up to the event didn’t put too much of a dampener on things, nor could it keep festival-goers away on the night.
The day of the event showed up in all its glory with clear blue skies, and showing off with an incredible sunset, before pulling up a blanket of clouds to keep a little of the day’s warmth in.
Guests were greeted with warming fire buckets and the smells of smoking meats and cinnamon doughnuts, and all in front of the perfect view over the Lake on such a gorgeous winter’s evening.
An Acknowledgement and Welcome to Country was given by local Wiradjuri Elder, Aileen Allen, followed by a Smoking Ceremony and traditional dance by the River Spirit Cultural Arts dance group to begin the night’s festivities.
They came, they saw, they ate delicious hearty food, indulged in some boutique brews, got cosy by warming fire buckets, and were amazed by live music and entertainment throughout the evening.
The Post Office Hotel provided a steady flow of beverages, accompanied by Small Acres Cyder, who had a warming mulled cider, and Cargo Road Wines with a selection of their finest drops together with a fragrant mulled wine on offer.
Food options included smoked meats, woodfired pizzas, loaded potatoes, slow cooked lamb rolls, Greek kebabs, and sticky date pudding, cheesecakes and freshly made cinnamon doughnuts for a sweet treat.
These and more were provided by:
A Taste of Greece
Out of the Blues
Paddock to Plate Woodfire Pizza
Rigdey’s Delights
Saltbush Lamb
Spuddy Buddy
Frost and Fire is all about celebrating the Winter Solstice and what better way, than under western skies.
It’s just like an old fashioned country bonfire night – if you haven’t been privileged to experience one, you’re missing out – but with extra flare.
On the perfect winter’s night, guests were warming up and chilling out lakeside with delicious, hearty meals and a brew or two.
Toasty fire buckets were set up for the comfort of festival-goers, provided by Rusty Pits of Condobolin.
Kicking the evening off on the main stage was talented local artist Gracey Denham-Jones. Gracey really set the calibre of talent to come throughout the evening with her melodic acoustic sounds and a crowd-pleasing groove to get the toes tapping.
The audience was treated to more local talent later in the evening with rock band, The Fog Pilots taking to the stage. The group performed a selection of great covers from present day, spanning back through the last several decades, and bringing up the tempo which saw the dance floor warm up even more.
Action packed entertainment wowed guests throughout the night with performances from Dare Devil Co.
John Butagig showed off his incredible guitar skills playing two at the same time. Some guests might have also noticed his resemblance to Game of Thrones’ Jon Snow.
And later in the evening, Walter Whip and The Flames took to the main performance arena front of stage with his flaming whip show, taking heating up the stage to a whole new dimension; drawing a very eager crowd and really putting on a show for them.
Frost and Fire is Forbes’ major tourism event, celebrating the Winter Solstice in the best, and most fun, way possible, in a wonderful location.
It is designed to encourage visitation to the town to stay a night – or a weekend or more – and explore Forbes and the amazing sights and activities to be discovered.
Stay tuned for details for Frost and Fire 2022 – and mark your calendars for Saturday 18 June 2022!
Being set up lakeside, we couldn’t not showcase a little something on the water, and the return of the Forbes Dragon Boat Club with their brightly lit up display was just another delight for guests to witness. The beating of the drum as the rowers rowed, and the light reflecting on the water as they passed by, made for an extra special spectacle.
Ahead of the main event, crowds were treated to yet another wonderful performance, this time by students of Kristen’s Dance Studio, with a Modern dance piece to complement the theme of the night. The dancers swirled and twirled for the audience to their delight. The performance included candles which the dancers used as beacons following the main dance, as they made their way towards the effigy, bringing with them the crowd’s attention.
And of course Frost and Fire would not be complete without some grand fire action.
As if the toasty fire buckets, including one large sphere shaped fire pit, weren’t enough, the crowd were witness to the burning of the effigy, built by Rick’s Timber Works. This year, with the addition of a sun and moon at the top of the large structure, bringing attention to the Winter Solstice signifying the shortest day of the year, the beginning of the winter season, and the connection between the sun and the moon.
With the structure resembling very closely to that which made its appearance at the inaugural festival, crowd members eagerly awaited the moment it would be lit on fire.
Local RFS members assisted with the lighting of the effigy and it didn’t take long for flames to engulf the entire thing, before slowly burning it to the ground. As it burned it gave off plenty of heat, and warmed the crowd watching on.
Just like a bonfire, only cooler, so to speak.
Australian-renowned musician, Bob Evans, took the stage as the final act.
Evans, who is the ARIA-winning alter ego of Jebediah frontman, Kevin Mitchell, together with his band, put on a show and had the audience dancing until the night ended.
They were due to attend the 2020 event, which unfortunately had to be cancelled due to lockdowns and restrictions at the time.
Playing to an excited audience, his presence – and his performance – was well received.
Frost and Fire is the perfect, unique country experience, and a night to remember.
So, will you Find Yourself… in Amazing Forbes next winter?
