Chinatown Revitalisation
PEARLERS' GAMES 2019
The Pearlers’ Games is set to be one of the standout events and a community favourite at the inaugural Chinatown Discovery Festival happening from 24 – 26 May 2019.
The Chinatown Discovery Festival sprang from a desire to preserve Broome’s memory of its community, culture and stories. The festival is a celebration of Chinatown, its story, its heart and its soul.
The three day arts and heritage festival will celebrate the completion of major construction works on Carnarvon Street and Dampier Terrace, as the Chinatown Revitalisation Project and Shire of Broome join with Chinatown’s traders to officially re-open the precinct.
The Pearlers’ Games will happen on Saturday 25 May from 2.30pm to 5.30pm on Dampier Terrace and are based on the ‘Chinatown Games’ that ran for four years from 1999 as part of Shinju Matsuri.
Featuring six events, the Pearlers’ Games offer challenges that are a throwback to many of the skills used in the old pearling days. In the main event, The Cygnet Bay Masters’ Cup, teams of four will attempt pearling industry skill and strength challenges including rope coiling, knot tying, shell packing and rickshaw racing. Individuals can tackle the Anastasia’s Shell Pack and the Bill Reed Flipper Race and Knotsman Challenge. Two person teams can take on the Willie Creek Dive Collector; while teams of six to eight will vie for the crown in the Hutchinson Real Estate Tug-O-War.
Some of the other special events planned as part of this years Chinatown Discovery Festival include an incredible Broome Diver String Symphony experience by Spare Parts Puppet Theatre and the return of the popular Sand Sculpture WA team. You can also submit your personal Chinatown Memories at the Goolarri Sound Booth and enjoy the Look Back with Sun Studios and Chukagi with Broome Performing Arts Co-Operative laneway performance trails along with historical and walking tours, local entertainment and more!
Source: Broome Chinatown Revitalisation
