The normally quiet winter months in Bridport have been transformed by the return of the annual Scallop Fiesta, now in its seventh year.
The fiesta, which coincides with the start of the commercial scallop season, attracted around 2,000 thousand visitors eager to celebrate the local delicacy.
Director Tony Scott says the event was created to “inject a bit of life and colour and culture” into the corner of the state, particularly during the quieter winter months.
“We looked around and thought, what on earth could we do? Have a point of difference. Let’s call it a fiesta, not just an old festival,” he said.
“It’s the sort of thing that turns an otherwise very quiet country town, where you could probably shoot a shotgun up the main street without any fear of hitting anyone, [into] a real hub of activity.”
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the fiesta is a “fantastic event” for the region, boosting local businesses and packing out the local pub post-event.
“This is why these festivals … are fantastic, not only for the vibrancy they bring to those winter months but also for supporting employment in the region,” he said.
“It’s great to be able to, for what is a relatively small investment on behalf of the Tasmanian people, to partner with an organisation of volunteers to bring people to Bridport, north-east, but also regional Tasmania to celebrate what we do incredibly well.”
“We’re enormously proud of and we are the envy of the world when it comes to our beautiful clean waters.”
CEO of Visit Northern Tasmania Tracey Mallett said the fiesta is a great opportunity for visitors to explore the north-east and discover its “beauty and the hidden gems”.
“It really is events like this that get people, visitors and our locals, intermingling and experiencing Tasmanian life,” She said.
“We’re looking forward to a bumper August. We’ve got some great events on.”
