Up to 20,000 people braved the at-times tumultuous weather to take in the two-day event, which as far as my young family was concerned, was an unmitigated hit.
Granted, as far as the target market for proceedings goes, my young family of four sits squarely in the optimum range.
But the festival still had something for everyone, with more space, more food trucks, more light shows and more time — given the hosting of the event outside daylight savings hours — to enjoy all the entertainment.
Eden, 5, and Bonnie, almost 2, danced the night away on Saturday after the rain — staying up way past their respective bedtimes and even scoring ice cream for dessert.
“It was fantastic to have the festival take place in Shepparton for the second year in a row,” City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali said.
“The festival was another show-stopping event, which put a spotlight on our region’s creativity.
“Thank you to the estimated almost 20,000 people who attended the event across the weekend coming from right around Victoria and interstate, helping boost our local visitor economy, celebrating and being part of the art and cultural developments of our region.”
I am aware this column just sounds like a plug for a locally run event, but it’s well deserved.
A cornerstone of the role of regional news publications in their communities is holding organisations such as council to account, which I firmly believe we do well here.
But the flip side of that is making sure we shout from the rooftops when it does a great job, which our council consistently does when it comes to attracting and putting on major events.
If you’re still not sold, take it as my submission for the feedback survey from the event, which you can complete here: shepp.city/illuminate-survey
– Tyler Maher is the editor of the News
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