The Tasmanian Craft Fair will not return in its current format in 2027, as organisers grapple with an ageing Rotary membership and fewer volunteers.
The 45th edition of the fair will run in Deloraine from October 30 to November 1, bringing makers, live demonstrations and visitors to the Meander Valley.
There will be 238 stallholders including 195 craft exhibitors and 43 food and beverage exhibitors.
The board of the Deloraine Rotary Club, which runs the event, says it will not hold a similar event in its current format in 2027.
Fair director Stephanie Johnston said staging the event each year required a significant commitment from club members.
“While Rotarians have worked tirelessly to deliver the fair each year, the extensive effort required has become increasingly difficult due to an aging membership base and a shrinking pool of volunteers,” she said.
Johnston said the fair had grown from a single-venue display into a multi-venue event across the town and had raised “hundreds of thousands of dollars” for community projects locally and internationally.
After this year’s event, the club will take time to reflect on the fair’s “legacy” and explore a new identity and vision for it.
According to Johnston, more than 20,000 visitors went to last year’s fair and their spending reached well beyond the showgrounds.
“Our visitors book local accommodation, eat in our cafés and restaurants and spend time in the shops on Deloraine’s main street and that spending flows right across the region,” she said.
“For many local businesses, it’s one of the biggest weekends of the year.”
This year’s feature exhibit is a full-size replica of the 1841 Rajah Quilt, made by Anne and Rob Thompson.
Johnston said she believed “the 45th edition will absolutely be the best Craft Fair we’ve ever put on”.
Deloraine was named Tasmania’s top small tourism town in July and Johnston encouraged visitors to make a long weekend of their trip.
Tickets are available through the fair’s website.
