8 July 2010…

The 2010 Port Douglas Carnivale advertising campaign, Taste.Watch.Dance.Play, has won a statewide award.

The campaign’s television commercials have won the SEVEN Queensland monthly production award.

Written and directed by Mia Lacy of Libra Communications, the commercials were produced at SEVEN Cairns in April 2010.

“We’ve received great feedback on the advertising campaign this year, with people telling us they enjoyed the theme Taste.Watch.Dance.Play. The commercials feature quality photography by Martine Cotton and graphic design by Chris Cotton, and a soundtrack song by Omid Master

They have really captured the spirit of Port Douglas Carnivale in each of the three 30 second advertisements,” said Mia Lacy.

Mia Lacy and her virtual advertising agency colleagues Richard & Sandy Chapelle and Willi Schultz jointly won the Queensland Multi Media Award 2009 for best overall campaign for ‘Which Way Our Way’ for Queensland Health last year

Media Release – Port Douglas 16 May 2010

MISS CARNIVALE PAGEANT’S POPULAR WINNERS

Photo Caption: New Port Douglas Carnivale Ambassadors L-R: Samantha Robertson (Miss Charity Carnivale), Sophie Stevenson (Miss Carnivale 2010) and Melanie Boon, winner of the People’s Choice Award.

A trio of local lovelies have been chosen from a field of eight contestants in the 2010 Miss Carnivale pageant.

The three new ambassadors of Port Douglas Carnivale 2010 will be Miss Carnivale 2010 Sophie Stevenson, Miss Charity Carnivale Samantha Robertson, and winner of the People’s Choice Award, Melanie Boon.

Port Douglas born and bred Sophie, aged 19, has worked as a PA to the directors of the LJ Hooker Port Douglas franchise for the last three years. She believes Miss Carnivale has been an excellent opportunity to grow on a personal level and to be recognised as a member of her community.
“I am looking forward to getting out there and meeting lots of new people. I am thrilled to be an ambassador for the Douglas region because I’ve lived here all my life and this is somewhere I’ll always call home. We have such a fantastic sense of community spirit in this town. Everyone is continually showing support to the various organisations and events in the area, and I’d like to think that by participating in Miss Carnivale I am able to help give back a little something to the community in my fundraising efforts by helping promote the local businesses and also the Carnivale festivities,” she said.

The contestants had a fundraising goal during the past weeks, and Sophie conducted cup cake sales, pie drives and raffles. A percentage of the monies raised by the entrants is being donated to raising awareness of breast cancer.

Samantha Robertson, aged 19, won the Miss Charity Carnivale title in a very close contest. Samantha raised over $3,000 on her own by auctioning donated prizes and merchandise. She has lived in Port Douglas for eight years and has worked at the Hogs Breath Cafe for the past three. “To be an ambassador for Carnivale is an honor and is already giving me a fantastic insight into many wonderful ideas that may lead me down future career paths. Most of all, the experience and fun of making great new friends is what I am enjoying,” says Samantha.

The total raised by Miss Carnivale 2010 was almost $10,000, which was an increase of 25% on last year’s inaugural event. Port Douglas Carnivale spokesperson, Ken Dobbs, said the funds would be well used in organisation and entertainment for the Macrossan Street Parade and the Four Mile Beach Day.

“These eight contestants have done the community proud over the past weeks and the substantial financial contribution they have made will be a major factor in the success of these two signature Carnivale events,” he said.

This year’s pageant was judged by Trent Evans, producer/journalist at SEVEN Cairns; Kim Hurley, presenter at Radio Port Douglas; Doug Ryan, executive officer at Tourism Port Douglas & Daintree and Eileen Rothwell, features editor at The Cairns Post.

Miss Carnivale 2010 wins a prize package including accommodation at Thala Beach Lodge, a Sailaway cruise and a pampering rejuvenation experience for two from Hibiscus Spa Resort.

Eileen Rothwell said the Miss Carnivale 2010 winner, Sophie Stevenson, shone during the pageant. “We couldn’t fail to notice that Sophie’s inner and outer beauty really shone through. She has a lovely vibrant personality, and clearly has the ability to engage well across a wide range of people,” she said. “Miss Charity, Samantha Robertson, was very poised and lovely and deserves her title for raising an amazing amount of money in such a small community,” said Eileen Rothwell.

The masquerade ball was held in the Rydges Sabaya Grand Ballroom on Saturday 15th May 2010 and attracted around 100 guests, many of whom took the opportunity to dress in masquerade. Mossman dancers, Bodies in Motion, entertained the audience, and event organiser Corrine Durie and M.C. Dave Evans compered the event. ENDS….

Feel free to embed this ad into your own websites or facebook pages.

MEDIA RELEASE

PALATES OF PORT – NEW CUISINE EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT…..

Port Douglas’ love affair with alfresco gourmet dining will be extended fully during this year’s Port Douglas Carnivale (20-30 May) with organisers announcing an all new cuisine event for this year’s program – Palates of Port.

Described as ‘Degustation under the Stars’, the event will see eight of Port Douglas’ finest restaurants and their chefs team up together: Bucci Ristorante; Head Chef – Shaun Malone, High Tide Beach Bistro Bar; Head Chef – Thomas Ahsendorf /Sous Chef – Phil Seely, Salsa Bar & Grill; Salsa Bar and Grill – Head Chef  Goran Zonai, 2 Fish Seafood Restaurant; Head Chef – Tommy Young, Bistro 3; Head Chef – Evan Seaward, Harrison’s Restaurant; Head Chef / Owner – Spencer Patrick and Sam Hiroki, Bel Cibo; Head Chef / Owner – Andy Gray, and Sakinah House Restaurant; Head Chef – Anthony Kramer.

Spokesperson Monique Leman said the event will showcase the exceptionally quality and high standards achieved by the restaurant industry in the region and is expected to become a signature event of Port Douglas Carnivale,

“The giant fig in Rex Smeal Park will be come the backdrop, accentuated with fairy lights, lanterns and up-lights of soft, atmospheric colours to create a magical setting for the eight course dinner. The area will be surrounded with white silk screens and at the base of the fig a small stage will provide the setting for each of the eight contributing chefs to demonstrate, in turn, how their dish is prepared and showcases the local produce which it incorporates. All the action will be displayed on a large projected screen so everyone will be able to see the preparation processes involved,” she said.

The climax of each dishes’ demonstration will be the serving of the dish from the on- location kitchen (built close by but out of view). To complete the menu, a team of local food and wine industry professionals will have matched the best of Australian wines with each of the eight courses.

“In conjunction with the theatre that will be created by the eight chefs demonstrating their dishes, the event will also be managed by MC Tammy Barker to ensure nothing is missed and the evening flows effortlessly,” said Monique Leman. ‘The MC will detail the menu’s dishes, conduct interviews with the chefs as they are working, and manage a program of entertainment during the night designed to enhance the atmosphere of celebration surrounding the event”.

Ms Leman said the evening was not about competition but co-operation between all the contributing chefs and their restaurants to illustrate Port Douglas is one of the best food destinations in Australia.

Palates of Port will take place on Friday 28th of May, 2010 at Rex Smeale Park commencing at 7.00pm. Tickets are $160 pp incl GST and available from www.carnivale.com.au.

Publicity:

Mia Lacy
T: 7 40578370
M: 0419771649
E: mia@libracommunications.com.au
W: www.libracommunications.com.au
P: Box 338 Trinity Beach Cairns QLD 4879

MEDIA RELEASE

CARNIVALE FOOD FIGHT – NEW CUISINE EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

A new cuisine contest which pitches the master chefs of Port Douglas against each other in a public event for the first time ever has been added to this year’s Port Douglas Carnivale program.

The Carnivale Food Fight will take place on Thursday 27th May, with participating chefs from Bucci Ristorante; Head Chef – Shaun Malone, High Tide Beach Bistro Bar; Head Chef – Thomas Ahsendorf /Sous Chef – Phil Seely, Salsa Bar & Grill; Salsa Bar and Grill – Head Chef  Goran Zonai, 2 Fish Seafood Restaurant; Head Chef – Tommy Young, Bistro 3; Head Chef – Evan Seaward, Harrison’s Restaurant; Head Chef / Owner – Spencer Patrick and Sam Hiroki, Bel Cibo; Head Chef / Owner – Andy Gray, and Sakinah House Restaurant; Head Chef – Anthony Kramer.

A panel of professional industry-based judges, including celebrity chef Darren Simpson from La Sala Restaurant, Sydney and Neil Hargreaves, food stylist from the Age’s Epicurean, will adjudicate the winner based on a number of criteria including the difficulty factor in preparation, the creative use of a ‘mystery’ ingredient, the skilled execution of the dish, how it relates to current cuisine trends and of course how good it tastes and looks.

Event spokesperson Monique Leman said the Port Douglas Sugar Wharf had been chosen as the venue for the inaugural battle of the region’s master chefs.

“A stage featuring eight cooking stations and a central area will be the focus of all the action. Each station will include a gas burner and a raised work bench for exclusive use by each chef. In addition to the basic equipment each chef is invited to bring with them equipment they think they might want to use in the preparation of their entry. Each station will promote the chef’s restaurant by displaying their brand,” she said.

The central cooking area will be set up to provide easy access for all the competitors to shared equipment including large roll top ovens, deep fryers and Weber Q bbqs. Food supplying sponsors will provide a large larder stocked with a broad variety of ingredients the chefs can access at any time. This larder will be the backdrop to the stage and offer considerable opportunity to show off and promote their wares.

A large projector screen will be hung and a live feed of the action on the stage will be projected throughout the competition, which will provide opportunities for interaction Ms Leman said.

“The doors will open at 6.30pm and give the audience an opportunity to mix and mingle with the competing chefs before the contest starts. Next, the event’s MC Tammy Barker will introduce the judges and the chefs, and reveal two ‘secret ingredients’. The chefs then have 10 minutes to design their two dish menu and gather the produce required from the larder to prepare it. Then the real action will commence, as the chefs launch into preparing their dishes in a 30 minute time period ready for presenting to the judges,” she said.

Throughout, the audience will be entertained with professional and informative commentary on what each chef is doing while they taste a variety of canapés provided by each participating restaurant. The audience will also need to pay attention to the cooking action and end result so as to ensure their ‘Peoples Choice’ vote qualifies them for the door prize draw; two tickets to join the Chef’s Table at the inaugural Palates of Port dinner the following night.

“Once the pots stop flying and the knives are put down, the judges will have 15 minutes to taste the dishes, compare notes and then present their scores to reveal this year’s Carnivale Food Fight Master Chef,” said Ms Leman. “There will then be a period where the chefs can mingle with the audience to celebrate or commiserate the results while continuing to enjoy the evening out on the deck.”

The Carnivale Food Fight will be held on Thursday 27th May at the Sugar Wharf from 6.30pm. Tickets to the Carnivale Food Fight cost $35 online at $45 at the door includes superb canapes and a welcome drink. Tickets can be purchased from www.carnivale.com.au

UNMASKING THIS YEAR’S CARNIVALE AMBASSADORS……Port Douglas Carnivale News 30 March 2010

The quest is on to unmask this year’s Port Douglas Carnivale ambassadors.

Organisers of this year’s Miss Carnivale contest are building on the successful format established at this popular event last year, with plans already established to launch this year’s winners at an all out glamour Masquerade Ball at the Rydges Sabaya Resort on 15 May.

Corrine Durie, who puts together the event, said entrants were already coming forward and sponsors were lining up. “It looks like being an amazing pageant this year. Last year was such a wonderful community event, and this year everyone knows what its about and we are enjoying tremendous support so we have decided to go all out with a big ticket event which will be a perfect showcase for these young people.”

Guests attending in masquerade will not be overlooked either. “This gala event will be classy, formal and, in masquerade, it will have just a touch of mystery,” said Ms Durrie. “For prizes, we have dinners for two at our fabulous local restaurants, trips from local tour companies and a couple of surprises for the best dressed, best couple in masquerade and a few spot prizes!” she said.

Bodies in Motion will present a dance extravaganza, Rydges Sabaya are plating up a superb three course meal created by executive head chef Anthony Kramer. This year, the pageant is being judged by a panel of four comprising Eileen Rothwell, features editor at The Cairns Post; Trent Evans, producer/journalist at SEVEN Cairns; Kim Hurley, presenter at Radio Port Douglas; and Doug Ryan, executive officer at Tourism Port Douglas & Daintree.

Ms Durie encouraged anyone considering stepping up for Miss Carnivale and Miss Charity to check out the online registration form at www.carnivale.com.au. Entry is free and this year there are some great prizes to be won.

Entrants need to be locals, and will undertake guest appearances during the festival of Carnivale, as well as fundraising and gathering donations for the Cancer Council directed to awareness and prevention of breast cancer.

The Miss Carnivale Masquerade Ball will take place on Saturday 15th May from 7.00pm – 11.00pm at Rydges Sabaya Grand Ballroom. Tickets are $75 per head or $700 for a table of 10. Tickets are available online at www.carnivale.com.au or directly from Rydges Sabaya Resort.

ENDS….

Publicity:

Mia Lacy
T: 7 40578370
M: 0419771649
E: mia@libracommunications.com.au
W: www.libracommunications.com.au
P: Box 338 Trinity Beach Cairns QLD 4879

2009 Miss Carnivale, Sarah Peglar Bumstead and Henry, a 1929 “A” Model Ford Pickup

This yearʼs Miss Carnivale will likely be elegantly seated in a vintage car when she leads the way in the Macrossan Street Parade procession on Friday 21st May. Organisers are tipping a retro night, announcing the theme of this yearʼs street parade will be ʻVintage Portʼ.

Chamber of Commerce president and Port Douglas Carnivale chairman Ken Dobbs said a tie-in with the regionʼs vintage car club will add an extra dimension to the event. “Weʼre hoping to have around a dozen of the regionʼs finest vintage marques from the Cairns & District Historic Vehicle Club Inc. to feature in the parade,” he said.

Mr Dobbs said the Vintage Port theme centered around the eras of the 1920ʼs to 1950ʼs and had been chosen because it had a broad appeal. “It will appeal to ladies because thereʼs a strong call to dress up in frocks and dance within the vintage era theme. We are encouraging people to think back to when things were simple, to the style of the era of Bugsy Malone with spats and taps, when there were classy dames and sassy broads, when debonair dandies wore pin stripe suits and carried a violin case, and the music of the day was the Cha Cha Cha or a swing band,” he said.

“Last year was the biggest street parade ever with 53 entries ranging from full scale vehicular floats to community-based groups walking, dancers, cyclists and horse riders. Such a diverse range of entries made for a fantastic array of visual creativity and fun, and we want to make this yearʼs equally successful if not better. We believe that ʻVintage Portʼ is a highly adaptable theme for people to create their floats around,” said Mr Dobbs.

Rob White of the Cairns & District Historic Vehicle Club Inc said there was great interest among members in attending the parade, and he was looking forward to taking ʻHenryʼ, a mint 1929 “A” Model Ford Pick-up. “My wife Julie and I have been in the parade over the years in many other guises, but this will be Henryʼs first time and we are really looking forward to showing him off,” he said.

The Chamber will again be offering a $1,000 cash prize for the float judged best all round, and entry into the street parade is free. Entry forms are available at www.carnivale.com.au or from the office at 6 Grant Street.

Register your float at the 2010 Port Douglas Carnivale Macrossan Street Parade Online Float Registration form!

For 10 magical days and nights each May (May 20-30th 2010), the festival of Carnivale takes over the seaside resort village of Port Douglas as visitors and locals engage in a kalidescope of free and ticketed events. Let life pick you up and twirl you around this May – the weather’s amazing and it’s the perfect time to visit. There’s music, arts, sports, food, culture and all styles of entertainment…and absolutely every reason you need to head to Port Douglas. As the event’s tag line proclaims, Carnivale is indeed ‘a taste of paradise!’.

Now 16 years old, Carnivale has grown from a street fiesta to a broad spectrum supported by the Queensland Events Regional Development Program which involves the entire community.

There are family favourites like the Street Parade, the Meridien Marina Seafood Extravaganza and the Four Mile Beach Family Fun Day. Get a taste of paradise at the Sheraton Mirage Longest Lunch, or Food, Wine & A Taste of Port, or watch great Aussie chefs compete in the Gourmet Gladiators. Sports lovers can play in the Port Douglas Golf Challenge held at Sea Temple Golf Club and Mirage Country Club, or catch the action in the Exemplar Clipper Cup sailing regatta. Talent is celebrated at the Tin Shed Fashion Awards, the Douglas Songwriters Competition and other community events like the Airing of the Quilts.

In 2010, the event line-up has changed from previous years and the first weekend celebrations open with a new opening cocktail party in masquerade at the Sugar Wharf, followed by signature cuisine event, Food, Wine & A Taste of Port held outdoors in Rex Smeal Park on the Saturday night (this event usually runs on the final weekend of Carnivale and this represents a major change).

This year for the first time, Carnviale will have a theme song ‘Everything is OK’ by talented local musician Omid Masters. This terrific upbeat song perfectly captures the free spirit of Port Douglas and the essence of Carnivale.

Port Douglas Carnivale is benefiting from Significant Regional Event Scheme (SRES) funding under the Queensland Events Regional Development Program (QERDP). The QERDP is an investment program designed to extend the flow of economic and social benefits of events to regional Queensland. The SRES celebrates and supports those events that have a particularly strong track record of growth and economic success for their region. A state-wide initiative, the program is committed to enhancing existing events in regional Queensland, as well as assisting in the establishment of new events. Since the QERDP began in 2001, more than $12.5 million has been invested in 600 regional events, an indicator of the important role these events play in their communities and wider Queensland.

For the full calendar of supported events visit www.queenslandevents.com.au.

With so many of our local Port Douglas restaurants sweeping the national and international restaurant awards, we want to celebrate that special facet of life in the former Douglas shire: FOOD. All the glorious fresh and tropical food and wine on offer here is world class and people travel a long way to taste it. The tagline for Carnivale 2010 (and ongoing) is

A Taste of Paradise!

People requiring Port Douglas Carnivale logo’s for use on their own websites or publications are welcome to right click download the above 600 px image.

Below is a 300 px wide image for public use also:

And here is a transparent PNG file at 300 px:

And here is the mask (LARGE SIZE, 300 DPI):

and at 110 dpi, 200 px wide:

If you need to resize any of these images you can try PIXLR free online image editor.

If you need a hi-res image, please get in touch via the contact form below: