SpringFest heads back online

On-going COVID-19 uncertainty around mass gatherings has led organisers of this year’s SpringFest Market Sunday to cancel the return of the physical event.

Run by the Rotary Club of Ballarat and originally set for the last weekend in November, SpringFest will now head back online and again offer a raffle as the key part of the community fundraiser.

It’s the second year in a row an in-person SpringFest won’t be held and event director Robert Glass said he was “disappointed.”

“The Rotary Club of Ballarat and SpringFest Committee are very disappointed to make this announcement but ensuring the health and safety of the community was paramount,” he said.

“The COVID-19 health crisis is unprecedented and the ongoing changes with snap lockdowns, social distancing measures and mass gathering restrictions being made in the best interest of public health, means that we are unable to plan and deliver the 2021 SpringFest Ballarat event with any certainty.

“We thank the community for their support and look forward to bringing everyone together again next year to celebrate SpringFest Ballarat when it returns bigger and better in November 2022.”

It’s been just over a month since organisers announced the return of a modified SpringFest at the showgrounds that would have included the traditional market Sunday as well as a new food truck Friday event.

However, with communities yo-yoing in and out of lockdown and the Delta strain of COVID-19 creating havoc across the state, Mr Glass said it was better to make a call on the event sooner rather than later.

“It was… important to decide on SpringFest Ballarat now, as many stall holders spend months preparing for the market,” he said.

“We are fortunate to have an incredibly passionate and supportive community involved in SpringFest Ballarat each year and during these uncertain times we wanted to give everyone as much notice as possible.”

Like in 2020, the cancelation of the market Sunday doesn’t mean the event is just disappearing with an online raffle making its return.

Raffle tickets and further SpringFest updates are available from ballaratspringfest.com.au, and this year’s raffle will be drawn on Tuesday, 30 November.

Also not completely off the menu is the food truck festival, or SpringFeast, which was planned for the Friday before the market Sunday.

While it won’t be happening in November, organisers are hoping to reschedule for early in 2022.