The ‘Shellharbour City Festival of Sport’ is on Saturday and Sunday, March 2 and 3. The free family-friendly event offers the chance to ‘Come and Try’ a wide range of sports such as tennis, basketball, pickleball, tenpin bowling, as well as yoga, aerobics and stand-up paddleboarding.
Festival secretary Lee Cramer explains this year there will be two main elements offered each day of the festival. On Saturday, the Dragon Boat Challenge will be held at The Skiway Park Oak Flats and on Sunday there is a new event – ‘Fun, Fit, Frolic’ (in addition to ‘Come and Try’) at Reddall Reserve.
The Dragon Boat challenge is a highlight of the festival as spectators gather onshore to cheer on teams of 20 paddlers competing for medals and the honour of winning a perpetual trophy. The competition will be split into three categories of participants – Community, Sports, and School – who will all cover a course of about 200m on Lake Illawarra.
It is fun for family and friends to get together and make a team as well as a chance for community and sports organisations to try something different. For businesses, the race makes the ideal team bonding exercise. Lee says no experience is necessary, just the ability to have fun with full training provided along with dragon boats, paddles and drummers.
‘Fun Fit Frolic’ is a new family event that includes ‘Ride n Find’ – a bike activity where riders help two loveable characters called ‘Bloon’ and ‘Smegoo’ ride a course by scanning clues to complete challenges. There is also a fabulous ‘Duck Derby’ – ducks can be bought on the day and the winning duck receives a cash prize.
‘Come and Try’ is for adults and kids alike. Pickleball is the new sport sweeping the globe and you can try it at Reddall Reserve. There will be Barefoot Yoga, aerobics, ‘chipnputt’ and a ninja course. ‘My First Gym’ will be on-site showcasing their range of programs to help kids, from babies to 15-year-olds, cultivate a love of fitness.
The festival has been going on for 20 years in some form, Lee explains, picking up where the old Sunshine Festival left off. It originated, as all these community-style events do, from the hard work of a group of volunteers and what was the beginning of Tourism Shellharbour. The festival aims to promote sport and a healthy lifestyle in the area.
Shellharbour City Festival of Sport will be on Saturday, March 2 and Sunday, March 3. Visit www.shellharbourcityfestivalofsport.com.au
