New long weekend for Toowoomba after council decision

TOOWOOMBA residents will earn another long weekend next year after a council decision this week.

TOOWOOMBA residents will earn another long weekend next year after a council decision this week.

Councillors voted in favour of a request from the Toowoomba Royal Agricultural Society of Queensland to move the date of the show holiday in 2021 from Thursday, April 15 to Friday April 16, making it a long weekend.

"The show was planned to be held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday April 15-17 2021, (but) they have opted to change the show days to Friday, Saturday and Sunday April 16-18, 2021," the report by governance and legal services admin office Angela Crawley said.

"Therefore, RASQ has requested an amendment to the council's submission for special holiday dates for 2021 for part of the Toowoomba Regional Council area."

The show holiday doesn't apply to very northern tip of the region in the areas of Cooyar and Yarraman, who follow the South Burnett in observing the Ekka holiday on August 9.

While she wasn't opposed to the change, Cr Carol Taylor questioned the motivation to shift the holiday from a Thursday to a Friday.

"As a former show secretary, it makes it a long weekend, and perhaps they might be defeating their own purpose in that people might not be going to the show," she said.

"That's why it was on a Thursday and that's why Brisbane has their show holiday on a Wednesday - so it doesn't form a long weekend and you lose your attendance."

This year's Toowoomba Show was cancelled due to COVID-19.

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