The first day of the season for Hobart’s Taste of Summer festival has exceeded organiser’s expectations, with more than 12,500 people turning out for the event.
General Manager Katharine Dean said the crowd was 30% larger than the first Saturday last year.
“We’re really happy. It was a really positive vibe all day,” she said.
“We’re expecting better weather today. Similar crowd numbers. Generally positive all around.”
Dean said she believes the growing popularity of the festival is due to locals having more trust in the event and its offerings.
“We’ve really grown, matured over the last few years. We’ve improved.”
“We’ve given areas a really good facelift. We’ve improved our marketing. We’ve worked really closely with the stallholders and just generally making improvements across the board.”
“And I think that’s been recognised by the locals.”
The Tasman Hotel has returned to the Taste of Summer festival for a second year with a “more premium” version of their popular Yacht Club VIP area.
“Why not work together and bring a little bit of the Tasman’s laid-back luxury to the Taste of Summer?” the Tasman Hotel’s Frances Hutchinson said.
“Our guests travel from all over the world to collect experiences and memories and we’re sure that they’ll collect plenty of them right here at the Taste of Summer.”
Despite the hotel’s high-end status, the Yacht Club has been priced to be affordable for locals and visitors.
The festival continues until January 4.
