Community
7 May, 2024
Events plan to renew region
A NEW strategy has been developed to draw more events and bring back old favourites to the Cassowary Coast.
The Cassowary Coast Regional Council has adopted the Cassowary Coast Events Strategy 2024-2028 for a calendar of sustainable events that draws on the unique attributes of the region.
Mayor Teresa Millwood said the strategy would provide a framework to continue building events in the Cassowary Coast.
“From sports, arts and culture, food and drink, music festivals or business events, each event provides the opportunity to celebrate our region, tell our story and brings opportunities to the Cassowary Coast,” she said.
“The strategy is very much focused on supporting and growing existing events, and we will also seek to attract new events through to 2028 and beyond.”
Some of the respondents to a survey wanted events revitalised, including the Mission Beach Aquatic Festival, Mission Beach Film Festival, car rally, vintage car festival, the Sugar Festival and Harvest Festival, the Mission Beach Cassowary Festival and Mission Beach State School’s Banana Festival.
Council tourism and event development lead Richard Blanchette told last week’s council meeting that the council was streamlining processes and cutting red tape to make it easier for people to register events and apply for permits.
He said events were considered to be of a commercial nature, not for example, the weekly Cardwell Park Run which was not ticketed and considered a social occasion. Mr Blanchette said most survey respondents wanted the aquatic festival to return.
He said it didn’t reach a 25-year milestone with the last – the 24th – held in 2020.
He said events needed to be driven and supported by the community to be sustainable.
Cr Jeff Baines said the implementation of the strategy would put the Cassowary Coast on the map “instead of being that place between Cairns and Townsville”.
Economic development and tourism portfolio councillor Renee McLeod said the economic impact of events were an important contributor to the region.
Participants in the community consultation said they would most like to see more festivals and events (70 per cent), exhibitions and shows (48 per cent), food and drink (44 per cent) and classes and workshops (43 per cent).
A full summary of the consultation has been published alongside the adopted strategy on the council’s Your Say page and is available to view at https://bit.ly/4aVBzMu
