Festivals and Events Resources

Festivals and Events Industry

Festivals and Events are key to Cultural Tourism, a valuable and growing contributor to the State’s economy. It is important that councils support this burgeoning sector so that it continues to provide safe and creative activities for communities to enjoy.

Expenditure in Victoria from international tourism in 2017 was $2 billion, an increase of 88% since 2013, with growth attributed to an increase in cultural tourism. 24.5 million domestic overnight visits were recorded with 4.1 million (17%) of these considered cultural visits. Figures released in the Regional Tourism Review Discussion Paper put the value of Victoria’s visitor economy at $30 billion, supporting 214,000 jobs including 86,000 in regional Victoria.

The National Trust of Australia Discussion Paper: April 2018 (PDF - 3.49MB) highlights the untapped potential of heritage tourism in Australia quoting the United Nations World Tourism Organisation estimate that more than 50% of tourists worldwide are now motivated by a desire to experience a country’s culture and heritage - think of the impact the recently announced UNESCO World Heritage Listing for Budj Bim will have on the Great South Coast region.

Creative Victoria reported in 2017 that there were 2.9 million international visitors to Victoria, 1.8 million (63%) of these, were considered to be cultural visitors’, with 66% visiting museums or art galleries, 65% historical or heritage buildings, 24% for festivals and 23% participating in First People's cultural activity.

Stats and Stories: The Impact of the Arts in Regional Australia (PDF - 987KB) identified that typically, vibrant communities are open to new ideas and diversity and can communicate the identity of place through street life and successful use of natural and human resources. The report looks at the challenges and opportunities unique to regional Australia and shares that the arts generate business and jobs by increasing the desirability of a place as somewhere to live or visit. Local creative industries strengthen regional areas that have seen a decline in traditional industries and produce arts projects that attract media attention and boost a regional area’s profile.

Please see the following resources that will contribute to successful and safe festival development and delivery

• Victorian Guidelines for Planning Safe Public Events (PDF - 3.92MB)
• Safe and Health Crowded Places handbook (Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, 2018)
• Code of practice for running safer music festivals and events – Department of Health
• The newly formed Australian Festivals Association Australian Festival Association - AFA
• Live Music Toolkit

Sample Council Guidelines

Sample of council guidelines associated with Festivals and Events

• Manningham City Council's Organising an Event and Festivals and Events Information Kit (PDF - 1MB)
• Warrnambool City Council - Event Planning & Assistance
• City of Greater Geelong- Events Geelong – Planning an Event
• Bayside City Council – Event Guidelines
• City of Stonnington – Festivals and Events Guidelines (PDF - 0.98MB)
• City of Melton – Planning an Event?
• City of Melbourne - Event Planning Guide
• Latrobe City Council - Event Planner

Festival Research

The following research may also inform this process:

• Music festivals, Victoria, Australia - Melbourne
• Victoria's Tourism, Events and Visitor Economy research overview
• Victoria’s Creative Industry Festivals Review – Creative Victoria
• The Arts Ripple Effect - Creative Victoria (PDF - 2.93MB)
• Connecting Australians: The National Arts Participation Survey
• Electorate Profiles - Australia Council
• Arts grants bring big events to small towns
• Events: Drivers of Regional Tourism (2014) (PDF - 1.0MB) - Tourism Research Australia
• The Economic and Cultural Value of Live Music in Australia (PDF - 10.26MB) (2014) – University of Tasmania
• A New Approach’s first report: The Big Picture:  Public Expenditure on Artistic, Cultural and Creative Activity in Australia