The Blessing of the Fleet Festival is on this Easter Sunday April 17 with free entertainment, a wide array of market stalls and food, fireworks and of course, the blessing ceremony itself.
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The other very important and very recent change is attendance to the entire event will be totally free.
With the ground still so wet, the organisers (who are a dedicated group of local volunteers it must be noted) have decided to move the music indoors and the markets to hard ground, both of which will run from 10am to 6pm.
The Ulladulla Civic Centre will play host to several local musical acts, and the markets will be in the Civic Centre's car park.
Parking will still be available nearby in Rotary Park, or behind the Marlin Hotel, or behind Ulladulla Plaza.
Priority has been given to local vendors and artisans for markets so most of the things you find will be local, and even those from out of town aren't from all that far away.
You'll find showbags that the kids will love and all sorts of creative or useful items for yourself or your home.
The ceremony of blessing the fleet will involve a mid-morning mass at the wharf with Father Michael from the Holy Family Catholic Church in Ulladulla. Following this, the boats will all be blessed, in person, one by one as Father Michael meets them on the water.
The fireworks will commence at 6pm. They will be provided by Xtreme Fireworks and released from the north breakwall of Ulladulla Harbour, so get yourself a comfy and cosy vantage point and see the sky light up with a bang (many bangs, actually).
ENJOY FREE MUSIC PERFORMANCES
Fat Sounds will be producing the music all day and the first act scheduled to start at 10am is Totum, followed by the upbeat energetic style of Spindrift Saga making their first appearance in Ulladulla at 11am. The Sundowners start their set at noon and they are followed by Mojo Electric at 1pm.
Vocal entertainer and acoustic guitarist Jacii Leigh will take to the stage at 2pm and then at 3pm it's time for Soul Tonic.
At 4pm you'll see These 4. Leone Rogers and Gary Yates (known as These 2 when they play together) are joined by two more family members and they have all come together specifically for this performance.
The final act, starting at 5pm, will be Hein Cooper. A Milton local, Hein is a moody singer and songwriter who, it has been said, combines his acoustic balladry with infectious beats and electronic flourishes.
The Blessing of the Fleet Festival is proudly brought to you by the Rotary Club of Milton-Ulladulla and major sponsors, Shoalhaven City Council, the NSW Government, and the Australian Government.
