From the Lord Mayor's Office
Festive fun at Yours and Owls
Wow did Wollongong put on a show last weekend for the Yours and Owls Festival at Flagstaff Hill. The weather was glorious – particularly on Saturday – and it was fantastic to see thousands of locals and visitors enjoying themselves. I spent quite a bit of time at the festival over both days and it was a really positive experience to see people connect over a shared love of music and enjoy themselves in such an amazing setting! I was pleased to see that all monuments on site were protected and treated respectfully by festival goers.
Council is a big supporter and a keen advocate for seeing a diverse range of events on offer in our city. I know we speak a lot of the legacy of the UCI Road World Championships being in Wollongong in 2022 and we’re looking forward to hosting the 2025 World Triathlon Championship in October, but events like Yours and Owls add vibrancy to our city and also significantly boost the profile of Wollongong nationally and internationally. Cultural and sporting events contribute greatly to the city’s identity, they support a range of local businesses – the team behind Yours and Owls are locals – and offer the benefit of bringing both tourists and day-trippers into the city.
We’re continuing to make a name for ourselves, too, with Wollongong’s reputation for hosting major events growing positively. Just last weekend, I spent time at the festival with the NSW Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy the Hon. John Graham MLC as well as the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, Michael Rodrigues, both of whom appreciate what Wollongong has to offer in this space.
For an event like this, Council is a key stakeholder and responsible for approval processes. We’ve a number of Generic Event DAs for sites including Flagstaff Hill which is one way we can help to facilitate attracting events of this scale to the city. In line with industry best practice, we have a phased approach to the event assessment and approval process which allows the event organisers to work closely and collaboratively with other stakeholders such as NSW Police, Transport for NSW, NSW Health and NSW Ambulance on the successful delivery of their event.
While the Yours and Owls event was on last weekend, it wasn’t the only important and worthwhile one. I also had the pleasure of attending the Festival of Fun at the University of Wollongong. This was a great opportunity for people living with a disability, as well as their carers, to get together at a unique festival and I’d like to pass on my heartfelt well done to all those involved. It certainly was great fun!
