AS the leaves begin to turn their familiar shades of red and brown, the community prepares for the 26th annual St Patrick Day themed Autumn Festival.
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Check out some of our features on Irishman Brian Neville, who will entertain crowds with tales from his life, or Matt Nolan, who’s bringing a unique Celtic sound to the festival this year.
We’ll be using the #AutumnFestival all day, so follow our Instagram page @armidale.express to see our coverage and share your photos with us.
Can’t get to the festival parade? We’ve got you covered, tune in to our Facebook page at 12:30pm and we’ll be live streaming all the action.
This year will see more action than ever, with a full program of events below.
Friday, March 16
5pm to 10pm: Amusement rides and Twilight Markets at Civic and Curtis Parks
6pm to 9pm: New England Conservatorium of Music arts and culture performances at Civic Park
7pm: Celtic Dance Troupe at Civic Park
Saturday, March 17
7am: Breakfast with the Armidale City Band at Civic Park
8am: Campus to City Canter – bus departs the Visitor Information Centre at 7:05am and 7:35am for runners at UNE to Civic Park
11am: Mass Pipe Bands at the Beardy St Mall stage
12:30pm: Street Parade, the route winds its way through the CBD
2pm: NECOM Orchestra performance at Civic Park
2pm to 6pm: Free facepainting by Trudy Smith at Civic Park
2:30pm: Australian Dance Enterprises performance at Civic Park
3pm: Presentation of the best overall float prize and category winners and Celtic Circle Dance Troupe performance at Civic Park
2pm to 3pm: Quintet competition at Civic Park
3:30pm: Matt Nolan plays Celtic music on acoustic guitar at Civic Park
4pm: Massed Pipe Bands and Highland Dancers at Civic Park
4:30pm: A telling of Irish tales by Brian Neville at Civic Park
5pm to 6pm: Live Irish music by Tri at Civic Park
6pm to 8pm: The Refreshments at Civic and Curtis Parks
8pm: Originals band Traces perform live at Civic Park
9pm: Fireworks at Civic and Curtis Parks
Sunday, March 18
8am: Farmers Markets at Civic Park
9am: Quilting and needlework exhibition at Legacy House
10am: Motor Extravaganza at the Armidale Racecourse
12pm: Criterium Bike Race in the CBD