Saddle up for festival

WARWICK is saddling up for the annual Rose and Rodeo Festival later this month.
One of the biggest events on the city calendar, the festival begins on Friday, 25 October with a downtown mardi gras from 6pm.
Designed as family event, the mardi gras includes the Horticultural Society’s floral window displays, rides, food stalls and, of course, country music.
On Saturday 26 October the midday street parade has been themed Big Hats Brave Hearts this year, so expect to see cowboy chic mix with highland tradition.
The Saturday Rose and Rodeo Festival markets will feature about 100 stalls offering art, crafts, fashion, collectibles in Leslie Park in the CBD from 9am.
In the meantime a huge campdrafting schedule will start on Monday, 21 October, culminating in the Black Toyota Warwick Gold Cup on Sunday, 27 October with its $84,000 prize money. It is considered the Melbourne Cup of campdrafting.
The rodeo itself begins on Friday evening, 24 October and continues into the weekend. It will feature saddle bronc riding, bull ride, bareback bronc riding, barrel race, rope and tie, steer wrestling and team roping.
The rodeo and campdrafting are expected to draw over 30,000 spectators, with horses and riders coming from every mainland state to compete in the Rose City.