Ice skating and winter wonderland is not exactly what comes to mind when people think of Moree, but that’s what’s in store for a whole weekend later this month.
Moree Plains Shire Council is helping to fund a wide variety of new, and existing, community events as a part of the Transport for NSW, Vibrant Streets Package.
After receiving $145,000 in grant funding earlier this year, the Council’s headline event for the program is the upcoming Winter Festival. The festival will be held on Balo Street from 12-9pm on Saturday 27 July and 11am–5pm on Sunday 28 July.
Community Development and Liaison Officer for Moree Plains Shire Council, Jacqui Moore, said the events are intended to bring more foot traffic to town.
“The idea behind the grant was to facilitate larger scale community events the will close roads to cars and open them up to foot traffic to really bring the area alive for the community.”
The Winter Festival will feature live entertainment from local bands, food trucks and market stalls.
“We’re really excited to announce that we’ll also have Planet Entertainment on-site with a synthetic ice-skating rink, a mechanical snowboard and a giant snow globe,” said Ms Moore.
“We’ve really tried to make this something out of the ordinary – kids in regional areas just don’t usually get the chance to do these kinds of activities so we’re glad to be able to offer something different for them to be able to enjoy.”
Stall-holder applications are still open for the Winter Festival, for more information on how to apply, visit the Moree Plains Shire Council website.
The annual Moree Block Party on 14 September will also gain some street space and better staging under the Vibrant Streets Program.
The event, coordinated each year by Armidale-based Indigenous music production company Mad Proppa Deadly, is aimed at showcasing the talents of the youth of the region.
It’s not just Moree that’s seeing the benefit of this grant funding though, with some of the smaller, surrounding townships also enjoying the opportunity to introduce some new events or extend existing ones.
Mungindi will host a long lunch, which will close the main street on August 17. The Long Lunch aims to bring together farmers and residents for a meal and live entertainment, and the opportunity to chat, connect and build stronger community relationships.
Pallamallawa has already held the Pally Car and Bike show in June. The event, which is hosted by the Pally Pub was such a large success in its first event in 2023, the opportunity to add a road closure and extend further allowed for an even more successful 2024 event.
Pallamallawa is also the home of one of the great success stories of the region: the Pally Bush Markets.
“The Pally Bush Markets have just blown us away with how popular they’ve become,” said Ms Moore.
“The last market saw thousands attend and it’s all run by a little volunteer committee who caretake the War Memorial Hall there.”
“We’re offering them some of the grant money from Vibrant Streets Package so that at their next market they’ll be able to close the street and spill across from the hall grounds towards the park.”
The next Pally market is coming up on the July 21 so it’s definitely proving to be a jam-packed time for the region.
“The feedback from businesses and the local community has been very positive so far,” said Ms Moore.
“Not only do these events provide a great way for the local community to connect with each other, and with others from surrounding shires, but it’s also a great economic boost for the surrounding businesses.”
To find out more about upcoming events within Moree Plains Shire, you can follow them on Facebook.
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