Freedom of Entry parade to start Festival of Mosman

More than a thousand schoolchildren are expected to join other Mosman residents lining the streets for this year’s Festival of Mosman opening event on 13 October, the HMAS Penguin Freedom of Entry parade. Students from all schools in the area have been invited to attend the event to cheer on Royal Australian Navy personnel as they march through the streets.

“We are very excited to have the HMAS Penguin Freedom of Entry as the opening event this year and are inviting residents to get there early to secure a great spot to see the sailors and Royal Australian Navy band parade from Prince Albert Street to Mosman War Memorial,” Mosman Mayor Carolyn Corrigan said. “The parade marks one of the significant military and cultural milestones being celebrated by this year’s festival which will include a wide range of engaging and fun events.”

The tradition dates back to medieval times when armed bodies were rarely admitted into other cities, with the granting of Freedom of Entry still considered the highest honour a city can bestow on the Navy.

The biennial festival, which spans the 70th Mosman Art Prize exhibition and the 75th anniversary of HMAS Penguin, celebrates the best of Mosman, its stunning beaches and harbour lifestyle, vibrant arts experiences, fine dining, shopping and community feel.

The Freedom of Entry parade will be followed later that day by a Festival Opening Concert on Balmoral Beach and wrap up 10 days later with the ever-popular Pet’s Day Out.

Other highlights of the festival, which includes 50 community and cultural events such as open-air concerts, a public art program and exhibitions, an outdoor cinema and environmental activities, include:

• Children’s Fair, which attracts about 1,000 young children and families each year for pirate ship and teacup rides, story time and other activities
• Concert by the Beach, featuring popular Sydney vocalist and trombonist Dan Barnett who will sing with Mosman High’s Senior Jazz Band and Queenwood’s Jazz Ensemble, then his own band
• A special screening of the LEGO Batman Movie on the Village Green for which children are invited to dress up as their favourite superhero to go in the lucky prize draw and
• Creative drawing on Sydney Ferries which will feature three Sydney artists with links to Mosman and the harbour including Ann Cape, Todd Fuller and Peter Kingston.

All Mosman Council-run events are free of charge and most community-organised events are also free with fees applying to a small number of activities. Visit festivalofmosman.net/events for the full program.

The Festival of Mosman is organised by Mosman Council with considerable input, support and assistance from local community groups and volunteers. Key supporters include Festival Silver sponsor Mosman BMW, Festival Event sponsors St George Bank and Bark Busters Lower North Shore and Festival In kind sponsors Worldwide Printing Solutions St Leonards, Mosman Vet and Rancan Sisters Fitness.