![Circus performers from Circus West at the launch of the 2023 DREAM festival. Picture by Allison Hore Circus performers from Circus West at the launch of the 2023 DREAM festival. Picture by Allison Hore](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/137578502/edda6343-4cf6-4713-80aa-e13efe639dfa.JPG/r0_260_4032_2787_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Dubbo's DREAM festival will go ahead in September this year after a decision by council to move the event forward to make it easier for families to attend.
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Announcing the event's new date at Victoria Park on Wednesday morning, Dubbo Regional Council mayor Mathew Dickerson said he hopes the change in date will attract more people to the workshops and performances being hosted throughout the festival's run.
"We moved it forward to stay away from daylight savings because some people found they got their kids home a bit too late at night and we want to get them home a little bit earlier," he said.
"We're always hoping to attract more people and we've taken feedback from previous events to make sure that we keep tailoring it to suit what people want.
"The idea of changing the date really came from that feedback about daylight savings and kids getting home to bed really late at night and trying to go to school the next day because so many of the events are through the week."
It's set to include a jam-packed program featuring the crowd favourite DREAM Lanterns Parade on Saturday, September 9 and the popular Zoocoustic live music event at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo on Sunday, September 3.
![Council staff and event sponsors launch the 2023 DREAM festival at Victoria Park on Wednesday. Picture by Allison Hore Council staff and event sponsors launch the 2023 DREAM festival at Victoria Park on Wednesday. Picture by Allison Hore](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/137578502/b1bfe730-4fd4-45bc-8573-61c70ad70200.JPG/r385_269_3467_2267_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"This is just another event which adds to the overall landscape of Dubbo ... this is about exposing the cultural talent not just to a Dubbo audience, but to a wider audience," Cr Dickerson said.
"It's one of those rare events in the community which is open to absolutely everyone."
Cr Dickerson said this year he was most looking forward to the DREAM Lanterns Parade, which - all going well - will be held for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year the event had to be cancelled due to wet weather posing a safety risk to patrons and vendors. But Cr Dickerson is hoping mother nature will be kinder this year and the parade will be able to go ahead as planned.
"Barring a tsunami coming along from the Macquarie River, a pandemic, a mouse plague - it'll definitely be going ahead this year," he said.
"It was disappointing we had to cancel last year but safety of residents is of utmost importance. There have been enough interruptions for enough different reasons - and people have been missing it the past few years - so hopefully this year it will be back bigger than ever."
For more information about this year's DREAM festival visit the Dubbo Regional Council's website.
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