Three wooden dinosaurs and a volcano are sitting in a car park in Longley, waiting to be set alight this Saturday as the historic pub farewells winter with its annual Burning event.
The Longley International Hotel has held the event for six years, starting during COVID when a model of the coronavirus was torched.
It has since become the biggest night of the year at the Huon Valley pub, typically drawing around 500 people.
Licensee Hannah Brereton said the wooden structures are built each year by a neighbour, Johan Mets and his crew.
“This year it’s prehistoric, so dinosaurs, which, you know, who doesn’t love dinosaurs?” she told Pulse.
Past years have seen a castle, a sphinx and a stage go up in flames.
The event kicks off at 2pm, giving families time to get up close with the dinosaurs and take photos before the match is lit around 6pm.
Mets and his crew will do the honours.
“It’s a sad thing to watch it burn, but you know, that’s what it’s there for,” Brereton said.
The night wraps up with a professional fireworks display from Bright Star Fireworks.
Face painting, a clown, live music and food vans round out the family-friendly program.
Brereton said the event brings the community together during the colder months.
“It just brings life, brings spark back into the community and that’s what we wanna do here,” she said.
The pub has been in her family for 25 years, with Brereton taking over after her father passed away a couple of years ago.
She said ticket sales have been slower this year, probably due to cost of living pressures.
“People have gotta choose very wisely what they spend their money on,” she said.
Tickets are available through the hotel website.
