$250,000 on offer to support Lake Mac events

Lake Macquarie City Council will offer almost $250,000 in grants to event and festival organisers in the next 12 months to help reactivate the community following the COVID-19 lockdowns.

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After a year in which most events were either cancelled, postponed or scaled back dramatically, Council will offer two rounds of grants through its Events Funding Assistance Program.

Applications are now open for the first round, with a second opening in August for events to be held from October 2021 to December 2022.

Manager Arts, Culture and Tourism Jacqui Hemsley said funding would be prioritised for events and festivals that we well organised and original, and that celebrated Lake Mac’s culture and identity.

“We’re very keen to support engaging, original, high-quality events across Lake Mac that activate our community and showcase our City to the rest of the world,” she said.

A total of $247,000 will be offered across both rounds of funding, in three categories: community events, local events and celebrations, and sponsored festivals and events.

Community event applicants can apply for up to $10,000 each, while organisers of local events and celebrations are eligible for grants of up to $2000 each.

Sponsored festivals and events have the potential of attracting up to $20,000 each.

“These large-scale events encourage visitation to Lake Mac from outside the region, raise our profile and drive economic development,” Ms Hemsley said.

Previous grants have been awarded for a wide variety of activities, from small-scale events such as bird exhibitions and baseball competitions to food and wine festivals and national sailing titles.

Applications to the current round of funding close on 3 May, with successful applicants informed by 28 June.

Go to lakemac.com.au for more information and to apply.