A $5 million grant program which will attract, and support more local events and festivals is now open, driving visitation right around Tasmania.
The Tasmanian Festival and Event Support Fund is part of the comprehensive tourism and hospitality package recently announced by the Tasmanian Government as it supports the tourism, hospitality and events sectors over the next two years.
Minister for Sports and Events, Nick Duigan, said the new fund would boost the Tasmanian economy during the off season, particularly in regional communities.
"We know that the tourism and hospitality industries rely on a strong economy to thrive, and winter can often be a tough period.
"By making grants available we can secure more events and make Tassie the place to be – all year round.
"We've seen the success of events like Bicheno Beams and Permission to Trespass drawing thousands of visitors to our regions, providing a huge boost to the local tourism and hospitality industries.
"We want to see more events like these in all corners of our state and this fund will encourage visitation and support our local communities.
"One-off grants between $10,000 and $450,000 are available to support events scheduled between 1 March and 30 November in either 2025 and/or 2026," Minister Duigan said.
Importantly, the funding can be applied to a single event or spread across multiple events over the two-year period.
Funding will be provided for events across four streams: event development, event sustainability, emerging events and significant events.
"As part of our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania's Future, we're investing in our tourism and hospitality sector, which is exactly what this grant is about," Minister Duigan said.
Applications for the program are now open. The guidelines are now available on the Events Tasmania website.
