A FOOD and wine event focusing on Ballarat's spring harvest produce is being seen as a popular option should the city look to add a new major event to its calendar.
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After Ballarat mayor Daniel Moloney floated the idea of creating a 'uniquely Ballarat' spring festival, respondents to a poll in The Courier voted overwhelmingly for a food and wine festival, celebrating local produce.
Of the votes received, almost 40 per cent were in favour of the food and wine idea, whereas other options including arts and entertainment, markets, and music registered just 15 per cent each.
Councillor Moloney's idea is to create a new festival in October around the Lake Wendouree precinct to fill a gap in the calendar between Winter Festival in July and SpringFest at the end of November.
His comments came after an estimated 20,000 people attended Sunday night's fireworks at Lake Wendouree, the first time the annual show has been held away from Australia Day.
"It is something we were investigating prior to COVID - we'd started to look at the tender process, but then COVID got in the way and everyone was scrambling just to maintain what we already had," Cr Moloney said earlier this week.
"Hopefully as we come out of that now, we can revisit the idea of something that's uniquely Ballarat."
Committee For Ballarat chief executive Michael Poulton backed the proposal saying a "seasonal harvest-style festival" would be perfect for the city.
"First and foremost anything we can do to activate the city is fully supported and the capacity to look at ongoing events throughout the year is important," he said.
"With the spring season in mind, I think it is a great idea.
"Lake Wendouree is our unique feature, it is a jewel in the crown, and the other great thing we have, is great produce. Ballarat is really well placed to look towards a food and wine festival and the seasonal approach with the harvest makes great sense."
Meanwhile support has also been strong for continuing with a summer fireworks event with more than 53 per cent of respondents to a separate poll saying they supported the council spending each year.
The City of Ballarat this year spent $38,000 to produce the 15-minute spectacular which was held on Sunday night.
Councillor Moloney said the council would review the feedback received from the event and would determine how best to hold the event going forward, with some suggestions it could be moved to a Saturday night as a way of attracting an even larger audience.
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