Stallholders prepare for Taste of Summer as Tasmania prepares for border reopening

As Tasmania’s borders get set to swing open, organisers of the state’s biggest summer festival are preparing for thousands of visitors. Here’s how they’ll keep people Covid safe >>

Preparations for the Taste of Summer are in full swing, just one week until the border opens to mainland jurisdictions.

More than 30 per cent of ticketholders will come from interstate – something Taste of Summer chair Jarrod Nation said he isn’t worried about.

“We’re very pleased the borders are opening next week, we think that’s exciting for tourism and hospo businesses which have been hard done by because of Covid,” Mr Nation said.

“We can’t wait to see the visitors coming through the door.”

Taste of Summer chair Jarrod Nation. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Mr Nation said a Covid safe plan for the event was still being reviewed by the Department of Public Health, but was confident those attending would be safe.

“We’ll be complying with the state regulations for vaccinations, we can’t wait to bring people here to drink standing up and to dance the night away,” he said.

“We’d love people to move freely through the site, we’d love them to be able to dance to music on New Year’s Eve and the double vaccination provides that opportunity to everyone.”

The event, which will have a nautical theme, has capacity for 5000 people at any given time.

“We’ll be announcing our virtual queue system next week, which will be a first in Australia, everyone needs to buy a ticket and we’ll be regulating the box office and ticket entry via a virtual queue,” Mr Nation said.

“We might find there’s 5000 to stay all day or 5000 just stay for lunch and then another 5000 join.”

Fireworks at a previous Taste of Tasmania NYE party. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

Set up will take three weeks.

“Stall holders are very excited, we’ve been working daily with each of them,” Mr Nation said.

“We’ll expect they’ll have a roaring trade.”

Events minister Sarah Courtney said it wasn’t too late for Tasmanians to be protected when the border reopens.

“What we can see is a pathway forward which is really exciting and I’d like to remind Tasmanians there’s still time to get a vaccination,” Ms Courtney said.

Ms Courtney said business Tasmania was prepared to help businesses owners.

“It is a timely reminder that businesses do need to review their Covid safety plan, they do need to have risk management plans in place because we are expecting to see Covid in this state,” she said.

Sarah Courtney MP. Picture: Chris Kidd

“Public health are highly resourced to be able to make sure they can respond quickly with advice to businesses and to make sure businesses have the clarity to be able to clean their premises appropriately and to be able to hopefully start trading really quickly afterwards.”