There’s no excuse for hibernating through the next month of winter with the Ballarat Winter Festival blowing in to town bringing a packed program of events, activities, food, wine and entertainment.
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The annual festival, which attracts thousands of visitors to the city, starts on June 30 with a schedule stretching beyond the school holidays to July 29.
Last year more than 120,000 visitors enjoyed Winter Festival events with up to a third of participants coming from out of town, with many staying overnight or longer to enjoy the icy attractions.
“We see a significant economic return from the Winter Festival … and it’s an exciting time for not just local residents but those who come to Ballarat for the festival, or who come to visit friends and family,” said Ballarat mayor Samantha McIntosh.
Cr McIntosh took to the popular pop-up ice skating rink for the festival launch on Friday, alongside children keen to test their balance and a pack of penguins to help novice skaters find their feet.
Last year the ice skating alone saw 16,704 people lace up their skates and glide across the rink on Armstrong Street.
“As residents we know Ballarat is a great place to explore during winter, and it’s pleasing to know so too do the thousands of people who continue to attend the series of exciting events on offer each year during Ballarat Winter Festival,” Cr McIntosh said.
“Our city is continuing to grow as a creative hub, and it‘s offering such as the wide range of wintry events and activities during Ballarat Winter Festival which inject life into our streets and laneways – encouraging visitation, bolstering a vibrant creative sector and leveraging the city’s position in the state’s events scene.”
Among the highlights of the festival’s opening weekend are the ever-popular ice skating, with eight sessions a day, the opening of the twinkling light show that is Winter Wonderlights at Sovereign Hill, the Laneway Lumieres, Knights of Fire at Kryal Castle, and the Potato Festival which takes over the Ballarat Mining Exchange on Saturday.
Visit Ballarat chair Sarah Beaumont said the Winter Festival allowed Ballarat to shine.
“Appealing to holiday-makers looking for a magical winter escape, as well as locals who want to unearth the beauty of their city, the Ballarat Winter Festival is a key event on the city’s annual calendar and a key contributor to our visitor economy,” she said..
“The 2018 festival program will once again put all of our best assets under the spotlight – our premier attractions, our delectable eateries, our boutique retailers and our luxurious accommodation providers.”
