Record crowds have propelled the Macquarie Credit Union DREAM Festival to new heights in 2017, organisers say.
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“Flagship” status had been steadily carved out with the seventh running of the annual event, chairwoman Anne Field said.
She and her team were celebrating the festival as “the best yet” as it wrapped up at the weekend.
“Despite some less than ideal weather leading up to the Music + Markets/ Lanterns + Lasers event, we saw record crowds attend,” Mrs Field said.
“With just over 14,000 people attending the event on Saturday evening, and more than 18,000 attendances overall, we believe it is well and truly on the map as a flagship event.
“Although postcode data is yet to be collated, it is clear the festival is making a significant contribution to the local economy.”
The previous high for crowd numbers for the the big Saturday event had been about 11,000 people in 2015, Mrs Field said.
In 2017 the DREAM - Dubbo Regional Entertainment, Arts and Music - Festival, offered 15 events in 10 days.
“We are absolutely thrilled with the results of our 2017 festival, and I want to pay tribute to the amazing group of volunteers who have brought the series of events together,” Mrs Field said.
Many of the events on the program were free, in keeping with the committee’s vision to make the festival accessible for all.
The festival is made possible by the ongoing support of the Dubbo Regional Council and multiple festival sponsors, particularly the Macquarie Credit Union, which has recently signed up for a further three years as major sponsor, Mrs Field says.
That was important from financial perspective, but Macquarie Credit Union’s support did not end there, she said.
The organisation had 10 people volunteering in an “amazing” effort on Saturday.
Macquarie Credit Union general manager Matthew Bow gave this year’s festival a big thumbs up.
“We are very happy with this year’s events and are proud to support this community festival,” he said.
In 2017, Destination NSW provided $20,000 under its Flagship Events Fund, which also helped with the promotion of the festival.
“Our committee will regroup in a week or so to debrief, and start some early discussions about our 2018 festival,” Mrs Field said.
“We’d like to thank the many partner organisations who have worked with us to deliver the events; and the community who has supported the festival over the past seven years.
“We hope we’ve delivered events that they enjoy and can be proud of. ”