This year’s Go North Arts Festival across the Swan Hill region is being supported with a $10,000 Brumby Labor Government grant announced today by the Member for Northern Victoria Region, Candy Broad.
Ms Broad said the festival from 23 October to 1 November was expected to attract up to 5000 people, including 2000 from outside the region.
“The Go North Arts Festival is a wonderful celebration of local arts and culture, offering patrons an exciting and diverse celebration of arts and culture throughout Swan Hill, Robinvale and Lake Boga,” Ms Broad said.
“The program for this year’s festival has been expanded significantly to include greater community involvement and the development of additional projects to attract a broader audience.
“And this year’s event has been extended over 10 days to encourage greater visitor numbers and longer stays in the region.
“The program has been developed to cover a range of arts activities, to promote local talent and provide opportunities for the public to work with professional artists such as sculptors, film makers, theatre circus and theatre artists from outside the region.
“Local artists and arts workers will be employed to run community workshops as the lead in to the festival.”
New or expanded attractions include a region-wide arts trail, community celebration in Robinvale, and a number of activities in Swan Hill including a Traders Market Day, community celebration and launch, Aboriginal Dreaming Play, Swan Hill’s Got Talent, Nationwide Poetry Slam heat, Skate Park Youth project and George Fairfax Youth Theatre Festival.
Ms Broad said the Brumby Labor Government was supporting the Go North Arts Festival because it would attract thousands of tourists to the region, boosting the local economy.
“The festival, which will celebrate the Swan Hill region and showcase its unique local art, culture and thriving economy, will come to be recognised as the premier arts event in the Murray Mallee region,” Ms Broad said.
Ms Broad said the grant for the Go North Arts Festival would be provided to the Rural City of Swan Hill through Regional Development Victoria’s Provincial Victoria Events Program.
“The Provincial Victoria Events Program is part of Moving Forward, the Brumby Labor Government’s $502 million plan to make Provincial Victoria the best place to live, work, invest and raise a family,” Ms Broad said.
“The Brumby Labor Government is committed to working in partnership with local councils and communities to drive new growth and investment opportunities across provincial Victoria.