POPULAR Australian singer Taylor Henderson has been named this year’s YESFest headline act.
Swan Hill’s youth were asked to submit names of performers they would like to see front the festival, now in its 18th year.
Reece Mastin and Taylor Henderson were the frontrunners, with Henderson the ultimate favourite.
Henderson shot to fame when he became a finalist in the fourth series of Australia’s Got Talent.
The announcement came as the Fairfax Festival’s funding was doubled by council as part of the upcoming 2014-15 budget.
Performing Arts director Adrian Corbett confirmed the funding increase, saying the festival was going from strength to strength.
The Fairfax Festival is a series of workshops, activities and performances that aims to engage young people in regional or remote areas in the performing arts.
YESFest is the culmination of the festival’s program, a creative outpouring of theatre, music and activities.
The Pioneer Settlement will host the YESFest in 2014, a move Mr Corbett said reflected the festival’s growth.
“It’s certainly evolved and it’s an ongoing process,” he said. “The festival originally started as a competition and then when Clare Glenn came on board she changed it to make the focus on creating theatre for young people. It’s now more about giving them skills to perform wherever they are and giving the community an outcome that really excites people.”
Mr Corbett said the festival gave regional young people the opportunity to take part in activities and performances they didn’t normally have access to.
“It’s very hard for young people to find their niche or find their way if they don’t fit into societies with normal values,” he said.
“This is for the kids who like to sing and dance and act… because if they are perceived as slightly different then for young people that can be quite devastating.”
Last year the YESFest attracted 1100 visitors and in 2014 organisers are hoping to attract more than 1500 through the settlement’s gates.
Mr Corbett credited council for their continued support but said he would still need $150,000 to ensure the festival went ahead in its usual format.
“Swan Hill council are very supportive in that they provide my position with in kind support, which is just phenomenal,” he said.
“We’re very fortunate that they’ve seen the impact [the Fairfax Festival] has on the young people involved.”
The Fairfax Festival will take place from September 16 to 19.
