Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers: Councillor Carol Taylor makes passionate plea for future of Festival of Food and Wine

A Toowoomba councillor made an impassioned plea for the future of the Festival of Food and Wine, as questions remain over how it might look in 2025.

Toowoomba councillor Carol Taylor has made an impassioned defence of the under-fire Festival of Food and Wine, urging her colleagues not to “ensure its demise” for this year’s Carnival of Flowers.

Ms Taylor used the noting of the 2024 event report at Tuesday’s ordinary council meeting to highlight concerns she held around the future of the massive three-day event, which looks set to be either reshaped or scaled back this September.

The uncertainty was raised earlier this month when News Corp revealed the festival had been omitted from the carnival’s 2025 sponsorship prospectus, replaced by a two-day event that appeared smaller in scope.

CBD business owners, community leaders and other stakeholders were quick to highlight the enormous financial windfall the weekend of FOFW offered the city every September.

The marquee event, which attracted 17,000 people last year and as many as 28,000 prior to Covid, draws as much as 37 per cent of its attendees from outside the region in what is a significant boost for accommodation providers and other tourism operators.

Councillor Carol Taylor has passionately spoken in favour of the Festival of Food and Wine remaining a marquee event for the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The council’s operations team will next month appoint a new event producer for FOFW as part of a range of tenders that expired with the culmination of the carnival’s previous five-year strategic plan.

While the Toowoomba Regional Council has committed to a ticketed event in Queens Park, the exact size and scale will depend on that appointment.

Ms Taylor said the festival played a vital role in attracting younger people to the Carnival of Flowers, something that should be taken seriously.

“If you break down the attendance by age group at the Festival of Food and Wine, you’ll find the 18-24-year-olds are almost 25 per cent of the attendees and the 25-34-year-olds are over 30 per cent,” she said.

“Together, they’re 55 per cent of the attendees, and if you add the 35-44-year-olds it’s almost 70 per cent.

“There is no event, include the flagship ones, that attracts this cohort to carnival, and they are our carnival attendees of the future.”

Emma Holland (left) with Ingrid Patterson, Abbey McAuliffe and Amelia Lathwell at the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers Festival of Food and Wine, Sunday, September 15, 2024. Picture: Bev Lacey

Ms Taylor said the council needed to continue to support live music, including local acts.

“Live music all over Australia is struggling to survive and whether it’s a headline act from away or our local bands, they’re all struggling to showcase their abilities,” she said.

“In days past, local bands would fill the day spots and they were very good.

“I just think that by receiving this report, we’re ensuring the demise of the Food and Wine Festival, because by the time we sit and wait, it will be too late to organise it.”

In response, councillor James O’Shea said there would still be a major activation at Queens Park during the weekend of the Festival of Food and Wine, with all details to be announced in the coming weeks.

“The council has, as per every other year, made a commitment around holding a ticketed event in Queens Park,” he said.

“The highlight of that is showcasing the best of food, wine, producers from our region.

“You’ve raised a really good point Carol, we have so many great local bands.

“One of the big focuses of the strategic plan for the carnival is supporting local and finding those local gems.

“The opportunity for a festival, here’s that chance to highlight so much more of our wonderful local talent.

“Does it include bigger acts? Again, we’re out to tender with that for that point of view.”