Campbelltown Mayor Darcy Lound is confident the 2026 Festival of Fisher’s Ghost street parade will be a success.
The parade returns at 2pm this Saturday, October 31, after an absence of six years.
For various reasons, Campbelltown Council could not confirm the parade would be back in 2026 until late in the piece.
This reduced the expressions of interest period and probably explains that there were only 61 entries.
In its heyday, the parade would attract more than 80 or 90 floats, sometimes more than 100.
“With 61 entries, look, I am happy with that, but obviously the more the merrier,’’ says Mayor Lound when we sit down to talk about all things Festival of Fisher’s Ghost.
“We just didn’t have the time needed or liked to have had to get more entries,’’ he says.
“It will be great to have the parade back, and I think it will be a success.
“I’d like to see it continue and see it get bigger and better, and back on its traditional route, but we’ll see how it goes.
“Council staff are confident that having it back for such a momentous occasion, and because it’s right in the heart of the town centre, it will get a good crowd.’’
The momentous occasion the mayor is referring to is that 2026 is the 70th running of the Festival of Fisher’s Ghost, as well as the 200th anniversary of the ghost story it pays tribute.
As for the “ghost story’’, it’s very simple: Fred Fisher was murdered by his neighbour George Worrall in 1826. Fisher’s body was found after another local, John Farley, reported seeing the ghost of Fisher, pointing to a nearby spot. Fisher was buried in the Anglican cemetery, while Worrall was hanged in Sydney and buried, according to legend, near the base of the arches of the Sydney Harbour bridge.
The 2026 parade will be a shortened version of the traditional ones held back in the day.
If you plan to attend the parade and support the floats, it’s best to arrive from 1.45pm to enjoy the pre-parade atmosphere and be part of the official opening ceremony before the parade steps off at 2pm.
The official proceedings will take place under the sails on the T-section between Queen Street and Lithgow Street.
The parade will commence at the intersection of Dumaresq Street and Queen Street, travel north along Queen Street and conclude in Cordeaux Street.
Once the parade concludes, keep the celebrations going at Twilight Street, located at the end of the parade route in and around Cordeaux Street.
Featuring live entertainment, food vendors, market stalls and a vibrant festival atmosphere, it’s the perfect place to continue your afternoon and enjoy everything the Festival of Fisher’s Ghost has to offer.
The festival fun starts when Fisher’s Ghost Carnival opens tonight (Thursday, October 29) and runs until the very last day on Sunday, November.
One of the highlights this year will be drone show which will showcase the history of the festival. The idea of a drone show came from Mayor Darcy Lound.
The drone show will light up the sky above Campbelltown from 8pm on Saturday, October 31 and the same time on the following Saturday, November 7.
Best place to see it from will be Mawson Park the first Saturday, and from the Carnival site at the Campbelltown Showground on the second one.
For the full list of events visit the Campbelltown Council website.
If you’d like to read more on the Fred Fisher ghost story, click this link:
