people to explore the city by foot and attend any number of food - and drink - based experiences across the program. Not only does this present a novel experience for patrons, importantly the format also makes it easy for busy operators to participate in a time and cost efficient manner. “We’re a small but mighty team, made up of myself, our People, Promotions and Communications Specialist, Megan Byrd, our Reporting and Administrative Coordinator Jade Piker and the campaign-lead Charlotte Wright.”
throughout the festival and beyond.
It’s a format that’s proven to work. Last year, 78 per cent of festival attendees surveyed said NORTH had encouraged them to visit a venue that they hadn’t before and 45 per cent of participating businesses reported above-average revenue during the festival. Miss Wright said the 2026 festival was expected to return even bigger results. “Last year, some core staff movements saw us pivot to deliver a bite-sized, four-day festival instead of the typical two weeks. We’re excited to be back with the full program again this year, keeping a strong focus on evening events to stimulate the city’s night-time economy,” she said. If you’re interested in participating or sponsoring the event, please reach out to info@launcestoncentral. com.au For more information visit northfestival.com.au and follow us on socials @northfestival and @launcestoncentral.
Miss Wright explains:
“Hosting events in-house removes many of the challenges of outside catering, like transporting equipment and having enough staff to deliver both an offsite event and normal operations.
LEFT: A NORTH FESTIVAL EVENT AT DU CANE AND BELOW, HAVILAH. PICS: SILEO MEDIA
“Also, giving venues full control over the creative and operational aspects of their involvement means they can choose when to schedule their event – perhaps on a day or time that they’re usually quieter, rather than during a peak period – which we hope will minimise interruption to their normal business operations and maximise opportunities to increase revenue and patronage.” Another core feature of the NORTH model is the facilitation of partnerships between hospitality businesses and local producers, artisans, suppliers, and operators, to create events and experiences that reflect Launceston’s UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation. Last year, NORTH brought together 21 city venues and 50 food and beverage partners in collaborations that provided everyone involved with exposure to broader markets, raising the profiles of individual businesses, and strengthening networks and partnerships within the northern Tasmanian business community,
23 Tasmanian Hospitality Review August/September Edition
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