"Bring it on!" That was the reaction of Ballarat Commerce CEO Jodie Gillett after the Council confirmed the Spilt Milk festival will take place in the city later this year.
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The one-day pop music festival - which The Courier revealed in early May but was only officially announced today - will take place on Saturday November 30.
It could attract up to 24,000 festival-goers, in one of the biggest ever coups for the city. The American R&B artist Khalid is one of the names already linked to the event, with the full line-up to be announced later this week.
See what we can expect here.
"It's exciting," said Ms Gillett. "Any event that brings people to town and fills up our businesses is great for our economy."
"We want to have an event calendar throughout the year that targets all demographics."
She said that Ballarat's hospitality scene had evolved significantly over recent years, and the festival was symbolic of a "fabulous diversity".
"We now have an offering that's exciting for everyone."
She said that accommodation providers in the city were well placed to cope with the demand of several thousand people coming to Ballarat - and hopefully staying overnight.
"Our businesses are pretty nimble," she said. "All they need is prior notice."
For Noel Dempsey, who heads up the city's tourism marketing arm Made of Ballarat, the festival is a welcome opportunity to encourage a younger crowd to the city.
"It's fantastic," he said. "It brings a whole different demographic to experience the town."
He said they were looking at strategies to encourage those coming to the festival to stay over more than one day and see what else Ballarat had to offer.
In a press release confirming the festival- a City of Ballarat Mayor Samantha McIntosh said: "We're extremely proud of the part we've played in attracting Spilt Milk to Ballarat."
She added that local musicians, creatives and artists would have a chance to be involved - from fringe activities to possibly being part of the main action.
It is a welcome boost for the city's live music scene following the news that Karova Lounge will shut its doors later this year.
On the practical level, Inspector Dan Davison said Ballarat Police had begun to plan for the event. "We are ready and willing to provide a policing response to the Spilt Milk Festival," he said.
"We have already started working and planning with the event organisers and the council to make sure that it runs as smoothly and as safely as possible."
The event is set to be hosted at Victoria Park.
A council spokesperson said noise management preparation was "well underway" and would include a sound system specifically to reduce noise spill to neighbouring areas.
They said residents near Victoria Park can expect to hear more on these plans over the coming months, and that council was working with organisers on traffic management and parking plans.
The festival will also be held in Canberra on November 23.
The full line-up for both days will be announced at 7am on Thursday morning, with people able to sign up for news and pre-sale tickets on the festival website.
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