No parade at next year's Winter Magic Festival

After much debate and soul-searching, the organising committee has taken the difficult decision to axe the parade, for a year at least, and instead concentrate on re-energising the festival as a community arts celebration and street party

Cost is the major factor behind the decision. Traffic management fees would be close to $60,000 in 2019 if the parade went ahead, said president, Naomi Parry.

By simply closing just Katoomba St, that amount will be reduced to under $20,000.

Ms Parry said it had taken many months of discussion to make the decision.

“We love the parade and we know that people love it but we came to the conclusion that this year we couldn’t do it,” she said.

“We tried every which way around it – like cutting the parade in half – but it just ended up being impossible.”

To keep up with the ever-rising traffic costs, the festival had been continually increasing the number of stalls, she said.

“We came to the conclusion that the parade was coming at the expense of the festival.”

Under the new model for the festival, the number of stalls will be cut and there will be more space in the street to allow performers and people to move freely and safely, Ms Parry said.

“We will encourage costumes and art and the community arts projects we are supporting will provide colour and movement and reflect our amazing creative community.

“We want to make it available and entertaining and inclusive of everybody... We want people to have fun but also have people genuinely participating.”

She acknowledged that some would be disappointed that the parade would not be part of the festival in 2019.

Council has agreed to fund the preparation of a strategic framework for the annual event and Ms Parry said she hoped that would help the festival association to build and be able to reconsider the parade in the future.

“In the meantime, the committee is excited to be able to get on with making the festival happen. We will be assembling the team we need to deliver the festival shortly, and stallholder and performer applications will open by the end of the year.

“It is going to be wonderful – a bit different, but still Winter Magic.”