ROTARY Club of Ballarat\u2019s SpringFest management committee has cancelled the community market day for the third year in a row.<\/p>\n
Set for Sunday, 27 November, 10am to 4pm, SpringFest would have been held throughout Lake Wendouree\u2019s Botanical Gardens precinct, but due to heavy rainfall in the last month, co-director Robert Glass said the proposed site layout was saturated and no longer viable for setting up stalls and displays.<\/p>\n
Mr Glass said a heritage overlay on Lake Wendouree\u2019s foreshore, which includes environmental impact restrictions, also means stalls and stallholders\u2019 vehicles could not be set up, or parked, on the grass.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are extremely disappointed that we have lost the opportunity to raise much needed funds for the community, along with supporting the 500-plus stallholders that rely on SpringFest leading into Christmas,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite this set-back the committee believe SpringFest is very much an iconic event in Ballarat and every effort will be made to bring it back bigger and better in 2023, with a wider range of activities.\u201d<\/p>\n
A statement from the management committee said the group is already planning for 2023 and will hold the event in a new location, where no environmental restrictions apply.<\/p>\n
All funds raised at SpringFest go back to various community partners, including primary schools and clubs. More than 500 market stalls were booked in for a spot throughout the gardens precinct for 2022, alongside events and activities.<\/p>\n
The SpringFest Market at Ballarat Carols by Candlelight is still planned for December, and the Online Raffle is back for another year. Ballarat SpringFest has been a local institution since 1994.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ROTARY Club of Ballarat\u2019s SpringFest management committee has cancelled the community market day for the third year in a row. Set for Sunday, 27 November, 10am to 4pm, SpringFest would have been held throughout Lake Wendouree\u2019s Botanical Gardens precinct, but due to heavy rainfall in the last month, co-director Robert Glass said the proposed site […]<\/p>\n