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Apollo Bay Seafood Festival director Bill Hurley Fraser said he was “very apologetic” to those who were looking forward to the February 10 event.<\/p>\n
“We were all systems go until we heard late from our major sponsor that they would have to withdraw for 2024. Essentially it just put us in a situation where there was too much financial risk,” he said.<\/p>\n
“This combined with the severe volunteer burnout a<\/p>\n
d the fact there is a redevelopment of the Apollo Bay Harbour about to start meant that we had to take a year off.<\/p>\n
“The same volunteer committee that manages the seafood festival in summer also manages our major winter event WinterWild, a music and arts festival.<\/p>\n
“7 years of festivals back-to-back, including putting on and rescheduling throughout covid has just worn everyone down.”<\/p>\n
The annual seafood extravaganza has grown to become one of the region’s premier culinary and social events, featuring a pack-filled day of pop-up restaurants, cooking demonstrations and seafood markets.<\/p>\n
While the full-scale festival will not be happening, a series of special seafood dinners will still go ahead at the region’s best restaurants.<\/p>\n
The Apollo Bay Fisherman’s Co-op will also be launching a new sashimi bar and oyster bar, and the Big4 Apollo Bay Pisces Caravan Park will be putting on a ‘Celebration of Seafood’ event.<\/p>\n
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