Mildura Rural City Council has secured a multi-year agreement with the national Red Hot Summer Tour which will see some of Australia's biggest music acts perform in the region for the next three years.
Kicking off with the 2023 Red Hot Summer Tour, next year's Mildura event will include iconic artists Paul Kelly, Bernard Fanning, Missy Higgins, Mark Seymour, Vika and Linda, Ian Moss and Troy Cassar-Daley, who will perform at Nowingi Place on Sunday 5 March.
Councillor for Recreation and Events Mark Eckel welcomed the announcement, which he said would inject up to $1.5 million into the region next year alone.
"This is yet another major step towards Mildura once again returning to the halcyon days of being recognised as the regional events capital of Australia," Cr Eckel said.
"It's a huge coup for our region and cements our reputation as a sought-after location for major event organisers, illustrated already by the hugely successful SummerSalt music festival earlier this year and Kings of Leon coming up in October.
"This exciting announcement further builds on this momentum."
Councillors this week endorsed the three-year agreement, which includes funding and venue support through Council's Events Funding and Support program.
Cr Eckel said crowds of more than 5,000 people are expected at each Mildura event, including a large number of visitors from surrounding towns and cities.
"Securing a leg on such a high-profile national music tour over multiple years means our local economy can bank on a healthy spike from this one event of around $1.5 million each year," he said.
"Each Mildura event is expected to employ people from a diverse range of areas, from artists and musicians through to staging, fencing, toilets, food vendors, hospitality and traffic management, many of which will be sourced locally.
"Then there are the wider benefits through spending in local restaurants, accommodation, food and fuel.
"From a marketing perspective, having Mildura featured and promoted nationally as part of the tour for the next three years will further raise our profile Australia-wide as a destination ideally positioned to host some of our country's biggest events.
"These are among the key objectives of our Events Strategy – to attract these types of major events, and to build our national profile as an events destination, and it's great to see we're achieving this.
"And from a community perspective, it means our residents know there's a national music festival they can attend each year without needing to leave their home-town, which is a great result."
Red Hot Summer Concert tour promoter Duane McDonald said he was thrilled to return to Mildura after more than eight years.
"Nowingi Place on the banks of the Murray River will be the perfect backdrop for the 2023 event," Mr McDonald said.
"The Mildura line-up's diversity and appeal will attract visitors from across the borders and State to not only enjoy iconic Australian music, but the ambience and attractions Mildura has to offer.
"We believe in bringing live arts and cultural experiences to regional centres for country communities to enjoy amazing music in their own backyard and look forward to seeing everyone in Mildura this Summer."
