Tolga Scarecrow Festival 2025

When: Saturday 1st November 2025 4-8pm

Where: Merriland Hall, Atherton Show Grounds

Entry Gate:

• Louise Street gate opposite Vernon Street for drive-in entry & parking onsite  
• Lousie Street gate opposite Vernon Street OR Robert Street gate for walk-in entry

Gate Entry Cost:

$3 per person 5 years & older - which gives you 1 voting token to choose your favourite scarecrow for "community choice" voting. Additional tokens will be available for purchase if you wish to vote more than once and increase the chance of your favourite winning!

Program of Events:

To be advised

Colouring in Competition:

Download and information available here. Printed sheets will be distributed to local primary schools.

Scarecrow Competition:

Create your own Scarecrow, download your entry form here.

Farming/Scarecrow Themed Fancy Dress Competition:

Assemble at the Merriland Hall Stage at 6:15pm, ready to join the Parade at 6:30pm, dressed in your best farming/scarecrow themed fancy dress outfit! 
Prizes for Junior & Senior Best Costumes & Spot Prizes!

Market Stalls:

• Aussie Freeze Dry – Freeze-dried local fruit & lollies.
• Busy Hands Arts and Crafts – Gifts and decoration, crochet items (eg. Plushies, bookmarks, dolls, pencil toppers).
• Chloe's Creations - Personalised tumblers and keyrings
• C2B THE LABEL (Coops & 2Bros) - Streetwear - kids, teens & adults tees and caps
• Sweet & Sour Confectionery - Sweet & Sour Licorice, Confectionery & light-ups.
• Helen's handmade  – Patchwork quilts, table runners, bags - sewn & crocheted items for kitchen & household use.
• Hand Beading – Hand-beaded pens, stylus pens, card readers, keychains & suncatchers by 11 & 13yo.
• Jewels & Things with Shazz AND Burning Bright with Breanna – Bobo balloons, handmade resin pieces, paint-your-own kits, anxiety rings, floral arrangements and gift packs.
• Kay's Craft – Hand-crafted cards, coat-hangers & household items with proceeds donated to local charities.
• Lee Hendry Creations – A mix of handmade crafts from eco to bags. Mini terrariums and whimsical fairy items.
• Mick's Timber Creations - Timber creations, including birdhouses, bird feeders etc, & hand-sewn items (placemats, table runners, quilts, etc.)
• RD Creations – 3D printed articulated ornaments & gifts.
• Sweet & Sour Confectionary - Sweet and sour licorice and confectionery, light-ups
• The Blushing Balloon - Photo booth & display
• Tin Town Creations – Craft, Gnomes, Wood craft & Christmas craft.
• Wood ‘n’ Play – wooden and educational children’s toys & products.
• Thermie Cooking with Bee – Thermomix information & display.
• Fill in an expression of interest form here. 

Food & Drinks:

• Ulysses Coffee – Coffee, Tea & Hot Beverages
• Love-Lee Cooking – Gourmet paninis - including special dietary requirements.
• Hot N Fresh CDM Catering – Twisted Chip on a stick, freshly dipped Dagwood dogs, loaded fries and dogs.
• Dairy King FNQ – Specialises in fresh refrigerated soft serve ice cream. Providing ice cream vouchers for prizes for fancy dress competition!
• Merriland Kitchen QCWA Tolga – Curry and rice, stew and rice, hot dogs on bread, a limited number of sandwiches, as well as slices, scones and cake. Also selling tickets for Christmas Raffle.
• Vonnie’s Treats & Sweets – Snow Cones & Fairy Floss.
• Scouts Food Hut by Atherton Scouts – Smash Pattie Cheese Burger, Smash Pattie Deluxe Burger, Corn Chips with Mince, Soft Drink Varieties 
• APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED

Community FUN-draising Stalls:

This year, we have invited community groups to have an 'Old Skool' style stall at the event to raise money for their charity or group

• Atherton Tableland Agricultural Society

o Axe Throwing Wall - safe, inflatable axe-throwing fun!

• Atherton Tableland Mineral & Lapidary Club Inc

o "Peg a Claim" - buy a flag for $2 to win big!

o 1870 replica hand cranked faceting machine demonstration

• Atherton District Girl Guides

o Lucky Dips

• Atherton Scout Group

o Scout's Food Hut with a range of family-friendly food! 

• FNQ Foster Farms Inc

o Small Animal Nursery

o Homemade chocolate, raffle & merchandise

• Mareeba Animal Refuge

o Pop the Flea

o Animal Match Game

• Mareki Equestrian Centre

o Pony Rides $5 - perfect for 5-16yrs

• National Servicemen's Association - Tableland Branch

o Selling Remembrance Day memorabilia

• Tableland Community Link

o Bottle Tombola - WIN the Bottle and WIN what's inside!

o Merchandise sales

• Tableland Gardening Group

o Ping Pong Ball Bounce into Bucket with Sunflower growing kits as prizes!

• Tolga Historical Society / Tolga Museum

o Choc Toss - gold coin toss on chocolate to win!

o Crazy Hairspray for added fun!

• QCWA Tolga

o Merriland Kitchen plus selling tickets for Christmas Raffle

• QCWA Yungaburra

o Facepainting

o Hairclips

o Lucky Dip

• Fill in an expression of interest form here.

Entertainment:

• Live Entertainment - FREE 4-8pm
• Jumping Castle (under 10yrs) - FREE 4-8pm 
• Community FUN-draising Stalls 4-8pm
• Market, Food & Drink Stalls 4-8pm
• Scarecrow Competition – Announced between 6:30 & 7:30pm
• Colouring Competition – Announced between 6:30 & 7:30pm
• Farming Fancy Dress Competition – Prizes presented on Parade at 6:30pm (Please be at Merriland Hall stage at 6:15pm to be included!)
• Games from 4:30pm – Simply join in on the day! Prizes galore!
• Sack races
• Avo & Spoon races
• 3 leg races
• Horseshoe throwing
• Haybale Rolling
• Sugar Cane Javelin
• Community Displays - Tinaroo Rural Fire with equipment & wildfire display
                                          - SES information & display
                                          - Queensland Fire Department with a firetruck & display
                                          - Queensland Ambulance with CPR awareness & display 

* plus so much more......stay tuned while our volunteers put together this Family Fun, Old Skool Community Event.

Thank you to our wonderful Sponsors for making this event possible!