February 27, 2018
Murgon will hold a new annual festival centred on the South Burnett Rail Trail if the South Burnett Regional Council gives the concept regionally significant event status.
That status would see the Council tip in up to $22,500 over a three-year period to help a new two-day Murgon Rail Trail Festival find its feet.
The festival would be held on October 27-28 and would largely duplicate the celebrations Murgon staged for the official opening of the South Burnett Rail Trail last October.
It would feature market stalls, food stalls and live entertainment, along with foot and cycle races and a children’s obstacle course.
The event would be managed by the Murgon Business and Development Association (MBDA).
The MBDA estimate 1500 people attended last October’s celebrations, and believe a three-year funding deal with the Council could see this number swell to 3000 by 2020.
The target market for the event would be South Burnett residents and visitors from the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and Toowoomba aged between 18 and 65 with children.
The MBDA would market the festival through flyers at local markets and local running events; radio, print and online advertising; and websites and social media.
The MDBA believe the festival would be self-sustaining after three years through market stall fees and entry fees for the running and cycling competitions.
The South Burnett Regional Council is expected to announce whether it will fund the event when it announces successful applicants for the latest round of its Community Grants Fund next month.
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This proposed event has great potential. Would be happy to ride from Kingaroy to Murgon again, as I did last year on the opening day of the Rail Trail. Councillor Jones would probably join me again? I hear Mayor Campbell is already in some form of (treadmill) training; he might also be thinking of mounting his old Malvern Star?