Thousands of visitors have packed the tiny northeast town of Bridport for the ninth Tassie Scallop Fiesta, roughly doubling the population of the seaside community for the day.
Festival organiser Tony Scott said the event was created to inject life into Bridport during winter by tying it to the start of the commercial scallop season.
“We were looking for something to do in the middle of winter,” he said.
Scott said between 2,500 and 3,000 people were expected, a remarkable turnout for a town of 1,500.
He said the festival’s impact on the area was clear, pointing to the local caravan park where van numbers jumped from five a fortnight ago to 65.
“Those sort of things are the things that really get people interested in and coming and put Bridport on the mind,” he said.
While visitor numbers have held steady since the first year, Scott said the focus has been on improving the quality of the offering rather than growing crowds.
“We don’t wanna grow in numbers, just in the way that we present and the quality of the offering,” he said.
The festival ran from July 24 to August 2, with the main event on the Bridport Village Green held on Sunday – featuring celebrity chef demonstrations, scallop splitting races, live music, beverage masterclasses and kids entertainment.
Scott said other local venues had also come on board, with hotels hosting canape evenings and the golf club running a competition that attracted summer-level numbers.
Billy Farrell from Little Rivers Brewing Co said the fiesta was a vital boost for northeast businesses that slow down over winter.
“Being in the northeast, we’re very driven by tourism, so it’s good to bring a new crowd in, boost our sales for the winter periods,” he said.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff attended the festival’s final day and announced $440,000 in funding for the northern economy, including $240,000 to establish Beer Tasmania and $200,000 to attract business events to the region.
