Council’s successful 2020 Spring Loaded program looks set to return this year even bigger and better, as Council considers a recommendation to again postpone the iconic Tulip Festival.
Restrictions on numbers for public gatherings, increased controls required at events and the uncertainty around the on-going COVID-19 pandemic have meant running the much-loved Tulip Festival is not a viable option for 2021.
“Council will prioritise public health and the COVID-19 social distancing restrictions when considering how to best celebrate the tulips blooming this year,” Waratah-Wynyard Mayor Robby Walsh said.
Last year’s Spring Loaded program was a successful month-long celebration embraced by Tasmanians keen to get out and holiday at home. It offered the community a jam-packed calendar of events ranging from drive-in movies to intimate concerts and children’s fun days.
Flowers, food and wine, the icons of the traditional Tulip Festival, were woven into smaller events for visitors to enjoy over a number of weeks, which resulted in positive economic stimulus for Wynyard and its surrounding areas and gave the community a chance to showcase all the things that make Wynyard and surrounds so special in Spring.
“I am so proud of the way the Waratah-Wynyard community has responded during this pandemic and has been quick to adapt and support new ways for communities to come together and celebrate,” the Mayor said.
The recommendation to be considered at Monday night’s Council meeting is to run a Spring Loaded program that coincides with Tulip blooming dates from late September.
Authorised for general media distribution by Shane Crawford, General Manager, Waratah-Wynyard Council on Friday, August 13, 2021.