Jessica Mauboy, Luke Geiger, O’SHEA Announced For 2023 Mount Isa Rodeo Festival

The Mount Isa Rodeo Festival has been announced for 2023, and it’s enormous – this year’s program will span a mighty nine days over August 5-13, with six separate events being held to celebrate the mining town’s 100th anniversary.

The festivities will kick off on Saturday August 5 with the Bell and Moir Toyota Rodeo Arena Ball, described in a press release as “THE MOST glamorous country hoedown” and raising funds for charities based in the local area. The following night, The Angels will host a special screening of their recent documentary Kickin’ Down The Door; it’ll be held in the forecourt of Buchanan Park Arena, where punters are encouraged to bring chairs and picnic blankets for the ultimate outdoor cinema experience.

After a brief pause, the festival will continue on Tuesday August 8 with the Isa Rodeo Hall Of Fame BBQ Dinner, which will celebrate “the pioneers and champions of the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo” and welcome four new additions to the Hall Of Fame. It’ll be followed by the Mount Isa Street Festival on Wednesday August 9, with Daryl Braithwaite headlining the live music program (full details for which are yet to be revealed).

Up next on the itinerary will be the Mount Isa Mines Indigenous Rodeo Championships, returning for its second year on Thursday August 10. This year’s edition will “see more records set” and more Indigenous riders given a platform to shine. The event will be hosted by DJ Deadly Jacob, with a headlining performance from Jessica Mauboy. Additionally, it’ll feature a cultural performance by the Sundowners Kalkutungu Dancers and the Komet Torres Strait Islander Arts and Culture Dance Group.

The program will wrap up with the main event – the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo itself – running over the weekend of August 11-13. Live music will come courtesy of The Angels, The Screaming Jets, Luke Geiger, O’SHEA and Furnace And The Fundamentals. The rodeo will be kicked off at the opening ceremony with a “birthday party” for Mount Isa – the Gulf Country hotspot was formally established in 1923 – replete with a birthday cake.

In a press statement, Isa Rodeo Limited CEO Natalie Flecker highlighted the rodeo’s significance in Mount Isa: “This year Mount Isa marks its 100th anniversary,” she said, “and for 64 of those years, the rodeo has been a highlight; a major event that brings together the city, the region and more recently, the country.

“Announcing the Mount Isa Rodeo Festival is exciting, because it features not only what happens in the famous Red Dirt Arena, but all the other events through the week on offer to locals and visitors including the Bell and Moir Toyota Rodeo Arena Ball which raises important funds for local charities, the Hall Of Fame program, the Indigenous Rodeo Championships and our incredible entertainment line up.

“Famed as one of the most electrifying events in the country, the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo is on the bucket list of many, has won numerous awards and generated millions of dollars in economic benefit to Mount Isa, Outback Queensland and Queensland, and now there’s even more reasons to come and more reasons to stay!”

More details on the Mount Isa Rodeo Festival can be found here.