The Ballarat Beat Rockabilly Festival is set to receive a funding boost from the City of Ballarat whereas the Food Truck Festival has fallen out of favour.
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The council will vote on the two tourism grant applications at their upcoming council meeting on Wednesday, December 13.
Council officers will recommend the Councillors approve a one-year $15,000 Tourism Event Grant for the 2018 Rockabilly Festival, $10,000 less than what the festival organisers originally requested.
According to a report from the officers, the expected economic benefit the festival provides the city is worth approximately $1.1 million.
The report that forms the basis of the recommendation that will be put to council noted the festival “demonstrated a good business case for tourist visitation, has a sound track record.”
The report also expected the anticipated attendees of the festival would stay in Ballarat for at least a few nights during the event adding to the value for the city.
However, the council officers did not think the Rockabilly festival added value to the brand equity of Ballarat or that the event was likely to attract increased visitation to the city.
At the same meeting, Ballarat City Councillors will also vote on a recommendation from officers to deny a tourism funding grant to the Ballarat Food Truck Festival.
The festival has attracted criticism in the past for drawing business away from permant Ballarat food outlets.
The Food Truck Carnival Company, who run the festival, applied for $22,300 in funding from council for their planned 2018 event but council officers assessment’s concluded event was justified to receive only $2,500.
Council officers were not convinced the event would be beneficial to the community for that it would provide a reasonable return on investment.
Councillor Amy Johnson was a vocal critic of the 2017 event saying the event harms local businesses as the money made at the event rolls out of Ballarat with the trucks.
“The large profits made from the events do not stay in our community and instead leave the community when these itinerant traders leave,” she told The Courier in October.
Council officers will present two options on Wednesday night for the Councillors to vote on with the recommended option denying any council funding for the Food Truck Festival in 2018.
