Major cultural festivals held in New South Wales will be eligible for grants of up to a million dollars as the state invests in a more diverse future.
Up to $500,000 (US$345,000) split over two years will be granted to successful local councils that host major cultural events in partnership with the government.
A total of $8 million dollars has been allocated for the Stronger Together Major Festival Local Council Grants fund 2022-23 as part of a $28 million package to invest in multicultural communities.
“We are talking about working with councils to host events that will attract tens of thousands of people from far and wide that want to experience our state’s diverse cultures,” Premier Dominic Perrottet said in a statement on Tuesday.
“By partnering with councils, we will be able to support them to cater for bigger crowds, which will benefit their local economies and especially small businesses.”
The funding is available to local councils within the state’s six cities regions: the Lower Hunter and Greater Newcastle City, Central Coast City, Illawarra-Shoalhaven City, Western Parkland City, Central River City and Eastern Harbour City.
Councils can apply for support for events already in place or to create new ones.
Local councils are best placed to understand local needs and design events of benefit to their communities, Minister for Local Government Wendy Tuckerman said.
“By partnering with councils, we are boosting local cultural celebrations led by local leaders, helping to cater for bigger crowds so tourists can experience everything their city has to offer,” she said.
Many councils had already created major events around cultural practices that had become linked with their local communities, including Lunar New Year, the Mid Autumn Festival, Ramadan, Diwali and Christman, Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure said.
“That is the beauty of our multiculturalism—you don’t need to travel overseas to experience other cultures,”he said.
“You can do it right here in NSW.”
