GENERAL INFO
HISTORY
Easterfest (formerly AGMF) is a massive 3 day festival held in Queen’s Park and the central business district of Toowoomba, Australia. The festival is Australia’s national Easter festival. It is not just held AT Easter but it is also ABOUT Easter.
The festival began as a joint venture between business, community, government and church groups.
The first festival was held in 1999. It was a humble beginning with a mixture of successful and unsuccessful events. In 2001, the festival re-focused by holding most events in Queen’s Park (previously, events were held in multiple venues throughout the city). Since the move to Queen’s Park, the festival has grown enormously with an average 30% growth each year.
Queen’s Park and Toowoomba’s central business district is converted into an impressive event precinct, packed with huge tents, stages and attractions. Thousands also choose to camp in the Queens Park campground, adding to the atmosphere.
Youth make up a major proportion of the crowd, however, a focus on safety and security allows parents to relax while both they and their family enjoy the festival experience.
AT A GLANCE…
- 1998 - Officially launched at Toowoomba’s Empire Theatre with a sold out James Morrison concert.
- 1999 - Inaugural Australian Gospel Music Festival (AGMF) held in multiple venues throughout Toowoomba.
- 2001 - AGMF centralises in Queen’s Park and introduces onsite camping.
- 2003 - AGMF is recognised as one of the largest drug and alcohol free events in Australia.
- 2005 - AGMF attracts over 30,000 individual people and officially becomes the Darling Down’s largest event.
- 2008 - AGMF 10th anniversary coincides with a transition to the new name - ‘Easterfest”. A record crowd of over 41,000 individual people attend free and ticketed events.
