SNUGGLING in front of the heater with a cat on your lap just won’t be an option this winter.
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The Winterlude festival is about to hit Ballarat for the second year running, with more than 50 events on offer across the city from June 25.
Highlights will include Sovereign Hill’s Winter Wonderlights, complete with night projections and an entire precinct covered in “snow”, Kryal Castle’s fire joust and horse jumping, a Best Pie Competition, a Seriously Shiraz showcase, the Local and Live Laneways festival, a pop-up ice skating rink, and the Winterlude Beer Festival.
Acting City of Ballarat Mayor Belinda Coates said this year’s Winterlude was expected to be even bigger and better than last year’s inaugural event – with a huge influx of visitors between 60,000 to 100,000 expected.
Cr Coates said last year alone, about 10,000 people used the pop-up ice skating rink. She also said accommodation providers saw a 80 per cent increase in occupancy, while major attractions saw a 40 per cent increase in patronage.
Sovereign Hill CEO Jeremy Johnson said the attraction had increased the length of its Winter Wonderlights event from 16 days last year to 30 this year, leading to more bookings from both interstate and overseas.
“Because of the 30 days we’re getting a much bigger international reach – we’re already getting books from China and Singapore,” he said.
“(Winter) was the quietest time of the year for us, and now it’s equal to our December to January profile.”
Kryal Castle marketing and business manager Serena Eldridge said last year, the medieval-themed attraction noticed a 20 per cent increase on visitation compared to previous winters.
She said this year, Kryal Castle was introducing a horse fire jumping event, which would see equines surmounting a flaming pit.
“Winter in Ballarat, people know us for being chilly, but put on your coat, there’s some great things to do.”
Ballarat Regional Tourism CEO Noel Dempsey said Winterlude brought huge economic benefits for Ballarat.
“It’s a great opportunity to fill a gap in the market, and the way to do that is to create some magic,” he said.
The Art Gallery of Ballarat will also take place in Winterlude, bringing a dose of culture to the event. Staff member Julie McLaren will change role from registration assistant to uber-funky DJ Spin Kitty, as she teams with fellow performer roaddog while attendees sample Starward Whisky nips.
Ms McLaren said the distillery soucrced all its barley and products from the Ballarat region.
The full range of events can be found at www.winterlude.visitballarat.com.au
