Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival hosts replacement event

An exciting small-scale event has officially been announced to replace a major South West festival that was put on hiatus this year after a volunteer shortage. In early June, the Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival committee announced they were forced to cancel the 2023 event to ensure the continued success of the festival into the future. The Manjimup-Bridgetown Times can reveal a new event called Manjimup Markets and More to be run on December 9, the same weekend as the annual cherry festival. The free community event will be centred around markets — which were highlighted by the 2023 MCHF strategic plan as the top reason people attended the cherry festival — and will include local produce, local entertainment and cooking demonstrations. Organisers also intend to run a log-chop event which has been part of the MCHF since its inception more than 20 years ago. While the highly anticipated festival parade won’t run and Giblett Street will remain open, the small-scale event will still include community favourites, including the Manjimup Photography Club’s annual competition and display, the Manjimup Art Festival competition, the Seventh Day Adventist Church’s Cherry Breakfast, and Two Little Blackbirds’ annual Cherry Degustation dinner The Manjimup Chamber of Commerce will also host an event on the Friday evening, while Cilantro’s restaurant will be hosting cherry-themed dinners, turning the event into a weekend-long affair. Committee chair Baily Pengilly said after much discussion, the committee decided it was important to host a smaller version of the cherry festival for the community’s benefit. “With the Cherry Harmony Festival not going ahead this year, we’ve decided that a sub-committee would come together and put on Manjimup Markets and More,” he said. “It’s a very small version of the cherry festival, held in two locations. Mr Pengilly said the sub-committee is currently seeking out funding locally and is taking expressions of interest from local artists who wish to be involved. “It’s looking to be quite an interesting event — it’s quite exciting.”