Two of Moorabool’s most loved festivals are calling for council support to help ensure the future of the events as they battle ongoing increased costs.
Ballan Autumn Festival and Blackwood Woodchip and Easter Carnival attract big crowds each year and support the local community and businesses.
Moorabool councillors received a report at a recent council meeting detailing costs and the benefits of providing sponsorship to both festivals.
Officers identified an indicative level of funding of $10,000 for the Ballan Autumn Festival and $5,000 for Blackwood Woodchop and Easter Carnival per annum.
The council will decide whether to provide sponsorship at a later meeting, with no money currently allocated in the budget.
Ballan Autumn Festival president Kevin Harper said the festival is a community run event supported by the community with approximately 8000 visitors attending each year.
He said there were challenges that could impact the festival going forward and they needed council support.
“Support keeps this much loved celebration alive and vibrant,” he said. “Our greatest expense and the one challenge that now threatens the festival’s future, the safe and compliant closure of the main street and adjacent side roads.
“Once this was handled by Moorabool shire … now the full cost onto the volunteer organising committee.
“The road closures are not optional, they are legal requirements under shire and Vicroads requirements.
“Until 2024, a council assisted to cover some of the cost of the road closure, this year’s absence of council support made a significant dent in our resources.”
Mr Harper said it costs almost $15,000 to close the roads and that moving the festival to council owned Ballan Recreation Reserve wasn’t a viable option.
A council officer said that the council no longer provided the funds to close the roads after changes from the Department of Transport meant the council was no longer qualified to close the road without prequalified contractors assessing it first.
Blackwood Woodchip and Easter Carnival’s Brendan Hehir said costs had continued to increase year on year.
About 4000 people attend the carnival each year, which has been running for 120 years.
Mr Hehir said it costs $45,000 each year to run the festival.
“Over the past decade the cost of staging this event has almost trebled and insurance alone has increased 10 fold,” he said.
“Recently increasing costs including compliance demands, event permits, health and safety have stretched our budget and volunteer work load.
“In the current economic climate it has become increasingly difficult to maintain sponsorships.”
