On 22 July, 800+ Catholic school students from across the Diocese will come together at the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre to participate in the Mulkadee Youth Arts Festival.  

Now in its 16th year, Mulkadee Youth Arts Festival is the only event of its kind in Australia, offering a week-long program of artistic workshops led by local industry professionals. The festival will culminate on Friday night, when the students take the stage to perform.

The week-long Mulkadee program will involve intensive workshops in the areas of choir, led by Rachel Cairns, dance choreographed by Alice Holland and Dancenorth, Drama directed by Arminelle Fleming and Theatre iNQ, strings conducted by Stephen Frewen-Lord, Guitar conducted by Andrew Veivers and Band conducted by Wyana O’Keffee.

Townsville Catholic Education Executive Director, Jacqui Francis, said the Mulkadee Youth Arts Festival concept was developed to provide students across the diocese an opportunity to engage in the Arts.

“Mulkadee is a wonderful experience for all involved providing our students and teaching staff who have an interest in the arts, an opportunity to come together and collaborate and develop their skills.

“For many of the students from our rural and remote areas, the opportunity to workshop, rehearse and perform at a venue such as the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre is a unique experience in itself,” Jacqui said.

The Mulkadee Youth Arts Festival evolved from the annual music camps that took place on Magnetic Island for students in our schools. Looking to improve and expand on the offering of the arts, Townsville Catholic Education took the opportunity to create a concert-style event to showcase a range of artistic pursuits, staging the first event in 2006 at the Riverway Arts Centre.

The performance of this year’s Mulkadee Youth Arts Festival will be held on Friday, 22 July at Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre from 7.30pm. Limited tickets are still available, to book visit tecc.net.au or phone 4722 0600.