The Ten Days in the Towers and The Country Music Festival by Maria Caesar

     Over the period during the end of April to early May there is an annual event in Charters Towers known as The10 Days in the Towers. The ten-day celebrations also include two country music festivals: the All Australian Jamboree and the Charters Towers Country Music Festival.

     Jeans, boots and an Akubra hat become commonplace on the streets of Charters Towers as the entire township dress up for the occasion. Store windows feature bales of hay, corrugated iron and various country knickknacks as they compete for the prize of best themed display. Country music can be heard in the town’s many hotel bars and on the streets of the central business district as buskers entertain shoppers and passers-by.

     Locals and visitors can also participate in line dancing, bush poetry and the talent quests during this period or attend the popular markets and various historic tours. Many of the town’s clubs, groups and local businesses host special events such as workshops and dinner shows, so it is an ideal period to explore the many activities and creative opportunities available within the town.

     The Charters Towers Country Music Festival was first held in 1978. The annual event has since grown to become Australia’s largest amateur country music festival.  A parade down the main street made up by numerous floats and hundreds of costumed students representing each local school kick off the three-day country music event. Several hundred contestants make their bid for fame in the talent quest each year. Some of the biggest names in the country music industry are showcased in special cabarets during the first weekend of May. It’s not surprising that thousands of country music fans and performers from throughout Australia and overseas flock to north Queensland to attend each year.