Agfest is on track for a strong weekend, with organisers expecting big crowds on Saturday after a chilly start to the three-day event near Launceston.
Vice chair Sam Tolman said 12,078 people came through the gates on Thursday, with Friday tracking well despite tough weather the day before.
“It’s been busy this morning,” Tolman told Pulse.
“It’s hard to judge. We’ve made some slight changes this year and got some extra gateways, so it’s really spread the crowd out.”
The event typically draws between 40,000 and 70,000 people across its three days, depending on conditions.
Last year’s tally was lifted by a Bluey appearance on the Thursday and Friday, which pushed one day’s attendance close to 19,000.
A new site layout with extra gateways has been introduced this year to help manage crowd flow.
Tolman said feedback had been largely positive, though some long-time visitors were still heading for the old entry points out of habit.
“Everyone that’s seen this new layout now and what we’ve got here this year, there’s been good feedback,” he said.
Tolman said organisers had worked to broaden the event’s appeal beyond the agricultural sector, with a varied mix of stalls, new horse-related events and an expanded animal nursery.
“You might get a few people from the city come look at the new cars or some features and then they get to see some tractors as well and everyone loves that,” he said.
Agfest is run by Rural Youth, which relies on about 140 to 150 volunteers, including a core group of roughly 30 who have been on site since the previous Wednesday.
Five paid staff run the organisation year-round.
The Carrick site is now shared with Party in the Paddock and the Earthworks Academy, a development Tolman said had helped lift the venue’s profile.
“It just keeps things ticking over all year long,” he said.
“It’s just not an empty paddock anymore. There’s things happening.”
With clear weather forecast for Saturday, organisers are hopeful the final day will deliver the event’s biggest crowd.
