The evening was filled with music, dancing and drama, providing a taste of what to expect for the much-anticipated third biennial festival.

An enchanted, colourful atmosphere was created at Forbes Town Hall for the launch which featured a Welcome to Country by Larry Towney, a traditional dance by Red Bend Catholic College’s Indigenous dancers, an organ recital by Richard Morgan, a performance by Forbes’ Senior Singers and a short play, ‘A Moment in Time’, written by Forbes’ Melody Ruhrmund and performed by members of the Bathurst Theatre Company.

A highlight of the evening was an appearance by Dame Nellie Melba, played by Melody Ruhrmund, who gave a summary of Melba’s life, including her visit to Forbes in 1909.

Ms Ruhrmund then led the crowd in a sing-along of ‘Auld Lang Syne’, which Kalari-Lachlan River Arts Festival committee president Margot Jolly said sounded amazing in the acoustics of Town Hall.

The 2015 River Arts Festival looks set to be the biggest yet based on some of the committee’s plans for next year.

“At the moment we’re still in the planning stages but the main events will be back again such as the Welcome to Country,” Ms Jolly said.

“The dragon boaters and dotting of the eyes is happening again, and we’re hoping to get lion dancers to enhance the Chinese connection.

“We’re definitely having activities for youth again, such as dancing, face painting and performers geared at the young ones.”

The highlight of the previous two festivals – the lantern parade – will be back again and is expected to be bigger and better.

“We’ll involve the use of local choirs, so we hope to have lots of voices, lights, colour and of course, involving the lake in some way,” Ms Jolly said.

The committee are hoping to have a photography exhibition for young people and run workshops about using digital technology in the lead up to the festival.

Theatre will play a bigger role in next year’s festival, with  the help of Bathurst Theatre Company’s Bec Russell.

“We’d like to see more local plays and local actors next year and we’ll be running theatre sports, which anyone can be 

part of and should be lots of fun,” Ms Jolly said.

Another exciting feature is an Arts Alley which will showcase a variety of artists’ work, as well as having chalk paintings, buskers and a small stage.

“It’ll be an amazing creative area,” Ms Jolly said.

“The whole point of the festival is to showcase the creativity that already exists in town as there are so many different forms of it.”

Ms Jolly said the committee will be talking to Renew Forbes about getting a space in the centre of town for workshops and to showcase what’s coming up. 

Town Hall will also be utilised more for the 2015 festival.

The committee, who are all volunteers themselves, are calling on volunteers to help out with a variety of jobs throughout the festival and in the lead up and are looking for anyone interested in having some input.

“We need people at all levels,” Ms Jolly said.

“This festival is for the community but unless the community helps put it together it just won’t happen.”

Sponsorship is also important to keep the festival going and the committee are happy to take donations of any size.

Sponsorship packages of all levels are available and anybody wishing to be a part of the continued rise of arts and culture in Forbes can contact the festival via their website www.riverartsfestival.org.au or find contact details on their Facebook page.