Moondyne Festival sees local scallywag run-free, again

Some things don’t change, after all.

And this years festival, perhaps the biggest ever, saw a crowd of 12,000 revellers (perhaps more) enjoying the good-natured fun that Moondyne is renowned for.

The Wiggly-worm did its wiggle down the town’s main street.

Carriages full of little kids and some not so little kids worming down Stirling Terrace.

And Floozies floozed, well, everywhere they went.

The navy band got people dancing in the street and the Stilt-ladies walked tall as they do at every Moondyne.

The local pubs went off like a firecracker.

What a boon for Toodyay.

And something different for Jackson Harvey-Bridges, this year’s Moondye Joe.

A role that he played to perfection albeit with sore legs the day after – such is the running that Joe does on festival day.

Running with the gang and running from the police.

Not bad for a bloke who with his young family only settled into Toodyay a few months before this year’s Moondyne.

He and his wife Jeanelle (who played a nurse during the festival) jumped into the spirit of the day boots and all.

For Neville Hoy Poy, chairperson of the festival committee, the success of the 2025 event was down to the hard work of the event volunteers including the planning committee.

He said, “The Moondyne Festival is undoubtedly the soul and pride of Toodyay.

“The goals of the festival are to promote Toodyay and the surrounding wheatbelt areas to increase tourism, economic growth, community engagement, and positive psychological and social experiences.”

He points out that feedback from attendees, stall holders, entertainers and social media sites demonstrated that the 2025 Moondyne Festival achieved all the goals and was a resounding success.

For all the success of the 2025 event the festivals future is not assured with Hoy Poy saying that the festival needs to attract more young volunteers and funding issues need to be addressed.