Globe to Globe World Music Festival and Carrum Beats and Eats cut by Kingston Council

WHAT would you rather — an extra $6 in your pocket, or festivals celebrating food, music and culture? A Melbourne council has made the call, dropping the axe on two much-loved annual events.

A WORLD music festival and a day of food and family fun are the first casualties in Kingston Council’s war on waste.

The southern Melbourne council has decided to scrap its popular annual Globe to Globe World Music Festival and the Carrum Beats and Eats Festival, as they try to ease the pain of rising recycling costs.

The changes will save an annual $411,000 in material expenses and a further $95,000 in staff costs.

The council will use the savings to offset increased annual household waste charges.

Instead of households paying an extra $31 the council will charge $25 and pick up the remaining $6 per household.

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Mayor Steve Staikos said council staff had analysed the cost and popularity of all four Kingston festivals, before deciding which would be canned.

The recently reincarnated Carrum Beats and Eats Festival (formerly the Harvest Festival) was found to have the lowest attendance, plus a limited ability to make money.

Dropping it from the schedule would save $186,000 in material costs.

Globe to Globe — Kingston’s annual community festival celebrating diversity — was also ditched from the calendar saving $209,000.

A council report said attendance numbers had been declining for several years, and with the event scheduled to be held over the Australia Day long weekend for the next three years, there were fears attendance would drop off further.

Cr Staikos said the hugely popular Mordialloc Food and Wine Festival would remain and be “bigger and better” than ever.

“We’re also moving our Carols by Kingston to Bicentential Park in Chelsea (from Sir William Fry Reserve, Highett) which will allow a lot more people to be involved,” Cr Staikos said.

“It’s one of our biggest events of the year and people come from outside municipality.

“Frankston doesn’t have a carols event and I think ours will appeal even more when it is that much closer.”

The Australia Day breakfast will also be tweaked to have a greater focus on citizenship ceremonies and the Mayoral Appreciation and Volunteer Recognition events will be merged and two Kingston Charitable Events will also become one.

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