The City of Canada Bay is pleased to announce it has secured $100,000 of funding from the NSW Government's Open Streets Program to grow the Majors Bay Road Halloween festival in Concord.
The funding will be used to reimagine the much-loved community event which has been growing in Concord over the last several years. Organised by the Majors Bay Chamber of Commerce with support from Council, the event saw thousands of visitors come to Majors Bay Road to celebrate Halloween in 2023. This year, through the Open Streets Program, funding will be used to temporarily close part of Majors Bay Road, Jellicoe Street and Brewer Street carpark, making more public space available for people and activities during the event.
City of Canada Bay Mayor Michael Megna said the new funding will be instrumental in expanding the festival's offerings and investing in infrastructure that can be used for future events.
"Halloween on Majors Bay Road in 2023 was a hugely successful community event. Our small businesses are the heart of our community and events like this which draw people to our town centres are important for a thriving local economy."
"This extra funding will allow the continuation and enhancement of the festival, adding vibrancy to our business hub here in Concord and supporting the surrounding small businesses."
Minister for Roads, Arts, Music and the Night-Time Economy, Jobs and Tourism John Graham said:
"We're excited to support this event in Concord."
"Too often our main streets are something we drive through, rather than drive to. Our streets are a critical part of our public and social infrastructure. Great streets make great towns and centres and reflect the local community and culture."
"The Open Streets Program is about temporarily transforming our main streets into vibrant and welcoming public event spaces."
"The colour and diversity of the 130 events funded under the program celebrates the unique personality of each town or suburb. This is what our vibrancy agenda is all about, backing locals to create events and entertainment that works for their local community."
The event will be run in partnership with the Majors Bay Chamber of Commerce, a local representative group for businesses in Concord, Breakfast Point, Cabarita, Mortlake and North Strathfield.
"It has been wonderful to see our Halloween event grow from strength to strength over the years, drawing more people to our Majors Bay Road precinct," Majors Bay Chamber of Commerce President Christian Bracci said.
This injection of funding means we can create an even better event for the community and maximise the benefits for our local businesses."
The Halloween Festival will include a trick or treat trail, face painting, roving performers, live music, street games, art classes and more. It will also include new temporary outdoor dining areas and pop-up retail spaces.
