For too long the summer holiday period has been largely a black hole for major events in the city, with the prevailing view that the annual exodus to the coast hindered attempts to successfully hold big events.

The turnouts in recent weeks, culminating with the success of three big events in Ballarat on the weekend – the inaugural Ballarat Beer Festival, the Red Hot Summer Tour and the conclusion of the Organs of the Ballarat Goldfields – shows that the wheel is turning for the city during the summer slumber.

It also proves that a diversity of events can be hosted and catered for – an important point to consider when considering the future of tourism for the city.

The criticism often levelled at Ballarat is that it lives in the past, in the sense of the events, festivals and attractions the city possesses and operates. This remains the city’s strength but has the potential to pigeon-hole thinking about just what can achieved in terms of attracting first-time or younger visitors.

In this sense, a beer festival was a risk which, for the operators and the city, has paid off at least in terms of positive reaction. Operators of the Red Hot Summer Tour came back for a second gig in Ballarat, this time with a concert headlined by INXS. While Kryal Castle is a unique venue, its use as a venue following big-concert events, such as Powderfinger at the North Gardens and Jimmy Barnes at Eureka Stadium, underlines further the need for a genuine entertainment venue.

The Organs of the Ballarat Goldfields goes from strength to strength for a very different clientele. Its organisers are continuing to bring big acts and different thinking to a long-running festival.

Attendees provided significant benefits to Ballarat, from a tourism perspective and for hospitality and associated businesses.

It follows another year of hosting the Australian National Road Cycling Championships, and comes in the lead-up to the massive community events planned for Australia Day at Lake Wendouree and around the region.

Yes, Ballarat is the place to be in summer.