Events boom across the region in March
The events industry across Victoria has taken a significant hit in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was further emphasized for our region during the October 2022 floods which devastated Greater Shepparton with the region losing more than 12 major visitor events at an economic loss of approximately $6-8 million. Some major events such as the Australian Football Skool Shepparton Cup and Victorian Country Week tennis have been cancelled, dealing a major blow to local businesses and the visitor economy.
As the region continues to work on its recovery, events are now back on the calendar and the region is once again doing what it does best. Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor Councilor Shane Sali said he was extremely pleased to see the area’s events industry back in action.
“In the month of March, the region has thrived again, with every weekend packed with major events,” he said.
“Our accommodation providers were fully booked on weekends and visitors and people had to look to nearby towns for opportunities. It’s great to see people traveling to our region to experience the events on offer.”
The month began with a variety of long weekend events including the VACSAL Indigenous Basketball Tournament, Tour De Course, Victorian Gemkhana and the Welsh National Horse Show. In mid-March, the launch of the immersive 17-day Shepparton Festival, along with the two-day Converge on the Goulburn Festival and the iconic Albanian Harvest Festival.
From a sporting perspective, the region also hosted the first Shepparton Gift running event in over 23 years, drawing visitors from across the country to Shepparton. The region also hosted two major CFA events, held over two weekends at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve, drawing thousands of visitors to the region, along with the Northern Victorian Show Jumping Classic at WB Hunter Reserve in Shepparton and the return of the popular Rotary Club of Shepparton Motor Show who brought the Shepparton Showgrounds to life yesterday.
“We’ve seen Greater Shepparton show what makes us special. We are a dynamic, multicultural capital of the region and that was evident at our impressive Converge at the Goulburn Festival earlier this month,” said Cr Sali.
“Every weekend there was a huge range of events across the region with something for everyone. It was great to see.”
To cap off a record month, Tatura Park Equestrian and Events Complex will host Australia’s Greatest Horsewoman event from Wednesday 29th March to Sunday 2nd April. The region will also host the second Goulburn Valley Country Music Festival on Saturday April 1st at the Shepparton Showground.
Looking ahead to the year ahead, in April the region will welcome the new Melbourne to Move Rally, along with the return of the Illuminate Festival on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th May. The two-day immersive light and laser show drew a record 19,000 attendees at its inaugural event last year, with visitors from around 167 different destinations helping to build the region’s reputation as an emerging cultural destination.
From a new visitor events perspective, there is much to look forward to later in the year when the region highlights its sporting prowess and hosts two major national cycling events in September and October, the AusCycling Junior and Master Road National Championships and the AusCycling BMX National Championships.
Cr Sali said these two events will be an impressive start as the region prepares to take to the world stage as the host of cycling events at the 2026 Victorian Commonwealth Games.
“These incredible events that our region will be hosting are great preparation for the upcoming 2026 Commonwealth Games,” he said.
“The month of March has seen a massive boom for our visitor economy across the accommodation, hospitality, entertainment, retail and visitor attraction sectors, helping to support and create local jobs further enhancing the strength of our economy.
“We are the regional events capital of Victoria and what happened in March underscores what makes our region so special.”