When Boorowa becomes the festival

By the time the sheep come charging through the centre of Boorowa on Sunday October 4, the town will already have been celebrating for more than two days. The Running of the Sheep may be the image most closely associated with the Boorowa Irish Woolfest, but look beyond that famous few minutes and a bigger story emerges. For one October long weekend, the festival is not simply held in Boorowa. Boorowa becomes the festival. Shopfronts change, businesses prepare for their biggest trading days of the year, community groups step forward, music spills from local venues and activities spread from the heart of the CBD to the courthouse, museum, club, park and streets. Hilltops Council events coordinator David Munnerly said whole-of-town involvement is what gives the Boorowa Irish Woolfest its character. “The Boorowa Irish Woolfest truly comes alive as a whole-of-town celebration, with the entire community embracing the spirit of the event,” he said. “From shopfronts dressed in wool and Irish themed, local cafés, businesses, community groups and volunteers welcoming thousands of visitors, there is a festive atmosphere around every corner. “It is this incredible community involvement and Irish hospitality that transforms Boorowa Irish Woolfest from a festival into a town-wide celebration that everyone can be part of.” For local businesses, that transformation is felt well before the first parade entry appears or the first sheep heads down Marsden Street. Kim from Birds, Bees and Me said the local gift shop promotes Woolfest to visitors throughout the year and has also come on board as a small sponsor this year. The business will open from Friday through to Monday of the long weekend. “It’s our biggest weekend of the year,” Kim said. “But in saying that we are planning and working towards it all year too.” And when the weekend finally arrives? “Everyone gets Irish, green and sheepy,” she said. “It’s a great atmosphere for the weekend with lots of visitors and fun things to do.” The atmosphere begins building well before the main Sunday program. On Friday 2 October the Boorowa Art Show and Sale will open at the Old Courthouse Building from 6pm, with the opening night raising funds for both local schools. Live music will follow at local venues, including The Occasional Wine Bar and the Boorowa Hotel, giving visitors an early taste of a weekend that increasingly stretches across the town rather than being contained to a single day. Saturday 3 October pushes the festival even further into Boorowa. The Boorowa Museum will open from 9am, the Upcycle Fashion Contest will be underway at the Boorowa Op Shop, and the Art Show and Sale and Boorowa Arts and Crafts Co-op will continue at the Old Courthouse Building. At the Boorowa Ex-Services Club, lawn bowls begins from 9:30am before the Quick Shear Competition runs from 11am to 3pm, featuring Ford 4 Shearing. Then, as the afternoon arrives, the focus shifts to Boorowa Park. Saturday Fringe Fun will run from 3pm to 8pm with jumping castles, an emergency services display, children’s entertainment, face painting, food stalls and treats, a treasure hunt, a movie under the stars and a fireworks finale. Live music will keep the town moving into Saturday night. By Sunday morning Woolfest will be in full stride. The Young Town Band opens the main stage from 9am, but the program extends well beyond the stage. Working dog demonstrations, woodchopping, circus performances, antique engines and tractors, the Boorowa Car Club display, face painting, sideshow alley, market stalls, a petting zoo and pony rides and the Shearing Shack are among the attractions spread across the festival precinct. Pipe bands will also bring one of the event’s most distinctive sounds to the streets, while Double Shot Maggie, Josie Laver and Feel The Vibe Dance Studio are among those appearing on the main stage. Then comes the sequence that sits at the heart of Sunday. The Blessing of the Fleece is scheduled for 11:45am, followed by the official opening at noon. At 12:15pm the street parade begins, and at 12:40pm, the sheep run. But even one of the Boorowa Irish Woolfest’s best-known traditions will not have the final word this year. Among the new attractions for 2026 is Rambo the Bucking Sheep, arriving after the Running of the Sheep. David described Rambo as a Boorowa Irish Woolfest twist on the traditional mechanical ride, promising laughs, friendly competition and plenty for spectators to watch. “Whether you're brave enough to climb aboard or just keen to watch the action, Rambo is sure to become a crowd favourite,” he said. Another new addition will bring a very different kind of skill to the festival. Emiliqua East, a five-time Australian Female Whip Cracking Champion, will perform as part of this year’s program. David said her appearance would combine precision, speed and showmanship while adding another distinctly Australian element to the weekend. The entertainment continues into Sunday afternoon, including the popular Guinness Pie Eating Competition from 2pm, before music and festivities carry on at local venues into the evening. Taken piece by piece, the Boorowa Irish Woolfest program is packed with things to see and do. But its character is found in what happens between those program times. It is there in the businesses that promotes the festival months before it arrives. In the shopfronts that turn green. In the volunteers giving up their time and skills. In the local venues putting on music. In the community groups running an activity. And in a town that knows thousands of people are coming and decides not simply to host them, but to invite them in. Perhaps Kim put it best. For one weekend, Boorowa gets “Irish, green and sheepy”. And that may be the real secret of the Boorowa Irish Woolfest. The sheep may run through the town. But the festival belongs to the whole town.