Entertainment
23 December, 2024
Carnivale over for spectacle
THE popular Wonderland Spiegeltent and the 1920s Spiegeltent at Dixie Park will be scrapped after this year’s performance.
Melissa Head from Wonderland Presents said that this was due to ongoing funding drying up because of the effects of Cyclone Jasper.
“This year, while fulfilling the last year of our contract for the Port Douglas Carnivale 2024, we were significantly impacted by the repercussions of Cyclone Jasper – as were all businesses in the shire,” she said.
“We were down 70 per cent in presales in February and road closures announced to begin on May 8 forced us to cancel eight shows, resulting in a loss of 2000 tickets. The road closure on May 8 worsened this severe life-changing blow to our business and the 2024 season.”
Ms Head said this was because of the event’s heavy reliance on customers from Cairns and beyond.
“Especially for the shows we programmed outside of Carnivale week, leaving us with a hit from which we could not recover,” she said.
“As this was the last year of our contract, it appears we were deemed by powers-to-be ineligible and unworthy of the tourism recovery package funded by the Queensland and Australian governments. This package was allocated to Port Douglas Carnivale and all future Port Douglas events and to drive ticket sales to Savannah in the Round in October.
“On September 19, five months after our new proposal was submitted, we received an email stating: ‘We have considered your proposal for the Spiegeltent Port Douglas Carnivale and concluded that we will not be pursuing your proposal or offers further’. No reason was provided and there was no consultation regarding our proposal. So, after eight years, the Douglas Shire deemed this one-line email a sufficient response.”
Ms Head said the economic value the event brought to the shire annually was “4000 people in 10 days and over $1 million in the economy for accommodation, overnight stays, and restaurants”.
“Although we successfully navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 years, the exceedingly harsh economic climate we’ve faced over the past 12 months and the hit from Cyclone Jasper in the Far North have made it impossible to continue our operations. As a result, we have decided to pause and reset our activities.”
A Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation spokesman said “TC Jasper had a devastating impact on many Far North Queensland businesses, causing significant disruptions, widespread property damage, supply chain interruptions, and a decline in customer traffic’.
“We have had ongoing contact with Ms Melissa Head from Wonderland Spiegeltent through 2024 to listen to and provide advice on the issues she has faced since the cyclone,” he said.
“This included advice on ways the Wonderland Spiegeltent might become eligible for assistance under programs such as Tourism and Events Queensland’s Queensland Destination Events Program.
“We are happy to continue discussions with Ms Head should she need further information or advice.”
