Melbourne to party its way out of COVID-19 economic plunge
More than $2.6 million will be splashed on 63 parties, events and festivals to lift Melbourne’s spirits when the city reopens, with Lord Mayor Sally Capp revealing what is planned to get the city back on track.
Melbourne City
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The City of Melbourne will splash more than $2.6 million on 63 parties, events and festivals to lift the city’s spirits – and finances – out of lockdown.
In the events-led recovering plan, council will hand out funds to help organisers cover the cost of equipment and venue hire to run events and bring people back to the city.
In a Melbourne City News exclusive, Lord Mayor Sally Capp has said the party plan will give Melbourne the economic boost it needs to hospitality, retail and tourism.
“These events are critical for our city to recover from the significant drop in foot traffic over the past six months during COVID-19 restrictions,” she said.
“COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on Melbourne’s events industry, with more than 120 City of Melbourne sponsored or permitted events cancelled or postponed indefinitely between March and July.
“We’re supporting 63 events through cash sponsorships, in-kind support and by waiving fees.”
Crowd favourites including the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Midsumma will be on the cards and new events such as the Melbourne International Student Festival and a Southbank Community Day will run.
MidSumma and Kids Day Out are some of the events that will be sponcoered to help stimulate the economy as Melbourne lifts COVID-19 restrictions.
Previous events with the same funding model implemented have brought in $618 million to the city’s economy with 3.45 million people in attendance.
Casablanca Events director Victor Perez who hosts the Arriba Melbourne Mexican Festival said the Latin festival will bring an injection of international flare to the city.
“Our festival is a celebration of rich Mexican and Latin American cultures with food stalls, parties, food, Day of the Dead costumes and puppets,” he said.
“With many overseas trips cancelled and postponed at the moment our cultural festivals are more important than ever to celebrate our international connections and identity.”
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Contact Grace at grace.mckinnon@news.com.au