Applications to the State Government's Regional Event Fund open today, as one of the many regional events it supports gets underway on Kangaroo Island.
Managed by the South Australian Tourism Commission, the Regional Event Fund encourages the development of new and innovative regional events and aims to grow existing events, while driving visitation and boosting the regional economy.
Applications to the Fund open today, as the popular Kangaroo Island Cup Carnival enters its first day. The regional event, which celebrates 141 years in 2024, is supported by the State Government through the Regional Event Fund.
The 2024 Kangaroo Island Cup Carnival is one of 33 regional events supported through the Fund during 2023-24. A crowd favourite, it attracts over 3,000 attendees and pumps valuable dollars into the local economy as eventgoers flock to the region and spend with accommodation providers, restaurants, cafes, local shops and more.
The Regional Event Fund is open for applications from midday on Thursday 15 February until 5pm on Monday 6 May. The 2024-25 Fund will support events that are staged between 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025.
Funding is offered across two event categories: Established Event Funding and Development Event Funding. Event organisers can apply for up to three years' funding, to the value of $50,000 per year for an Established Event, and up to $20,000 per year for a Development Event.
For funding guidelines and to apply visit:
https://www.tourism.sa.gov.au/events/event-funding
As put by Zoe Bettison
Regional events provide a great opportunity for locals and visitors alike to explore South Australia.
Not only are they an important driver of visitation, but they help celebrate the vibrancy and creativity of our state and contribute to the social fabric of regional communities.
We are proud to support a range of exceptional regional events through the Regional Event Fund including the Kangaroo Island Cup Carnival on this weekend, Winter Reds in the Adelaide Hills, Riverland Rose and Garden Festival, Clare Valley Gourmet Week, SALT Festival in the Eyre Peninsula, Beachport Crayfish Festival in the Limestone Coast, and many more.
I encourage event organisers to consider an application to the Regional Event Fund to help grow their event and bring visitors to regions. This is a fantastic opportunity to strengthen our state's wonderful annual regional event calendar.
As put by Leon Bignell
These grants are fantastic for regional areas such as Kangaroo Island because they help organisers to market events to people interstate and in other parts of SA.
Events are brilliant at converting people from thinking about visiting a region to actually travelling to the destination.
Generally, people go to the event and spend several days either side engaging in other activities that help grow the visitor economy at a local level.
As put by Greg Miller, Secretary/Treasurer, Kangaroo Island Racing Club
The Kangaroo Island Cup Carnival has become one of South Australia's iconic racing carnivals, attracting thousands of visitors.
The support we receive from the South Australian Tourism Commission assists us to stage a first-class country racing experience.
The track is looking spectacular this year and punters can expect two fantastic days of racing boasting record prize money, record nominations and the State's leading jockeys. The Long Lunch Marquee with 400 patrons and 26 private marquees have proved popular, having sold out in November.
With the support of the Regional Event Fund, we are able to put on the biggest single first-class event held on the Island each year attracting visitors from as far as the Pilbara in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and down through Victoria and up as high as far north Queensland.
