General News
27 May, 2024
Cost bite: Narromine’s Dolly Parton Festival cancelled
The committee of volunteers behind Narromine’s Dolly Parton Festival have announced there will be no event this October. Photos by The Narromine Star.
After delivering two successful consecutive and well-attended festivals, the committee of volunteers behind Narromine’s Dolly Parton Festival have announced there will be no event this October.
The committee released a statement last Friday indicating the difficult decision to cancel this year’s event was due to a lack of State and Federal Government funding and rising festival costs.
Narromine Dolly Parton Festival President, Susie Rae, said the annual event costs in excess of $150,000 to stage and, without dedicated funding support, it is not possible to proceed with this year’s Festival which was set for mid-October.
“[The festival committee] agonised over this decision as it is highly anticipated by local businesses and community members alike, providing a significant boost to the local economy,” Ms Rae said.
“While numerous funding applications were lodged, our festival was unsuccessful in securing any funds. With an approximate event cost of $150,000, continuing without this funding was deemed too risky,” she added.
Post-COVID support dries up
The first festival took place in September 2022, supported by a substantial grant from the former NSW Government’s $25 million Reconnecting Regional NSW: Community Events Program. This program was part of the then-Coalition Government’s wider $200 million Regional Recovery Package, designed to support regional economic and social recovery post-COVID.
Narromine Shire Council received $239,651 from this recovery program to support five community events in the shire in 2022 and 2023, including the inaugural Dolly Parton Festival.
This was a one-off contribution, however, which helped considerably with staging costs in the first year, and enabled the committee to charge a small entry fee for festival-goers.
Similar funding was not available for the Festival in 2023, but the event proceeded despite the challenges that this funding shortfall presented. The committee cannot do this again in 2024.
Stimulus packages like the previous State Government’s Reconnecting Regional NSW program, the Regional Events Acceleration Fund, and the Country Shows Support Package are no longer available to assist future events.
Federally, the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund, part of the post-COVID Creative Economy Support Package has also closed, with the last event funded under that program to be completed later this year. The current round of the Live Music Australia initiative is also the final round of that funding program, according to the Office of the Arts’ website.
Some media reports have suggested the removal of post-COVID stimulus support for regional events across Australia has contributed to some of the many festival cancellations this year.
Splendour in the Grass, Groovin The Moo, the Falls Festival, Dark Mofo, and ValleyWays are just some of the high-profile and much larger music and art festivals to have been cancelled in recent months.
The increasing habit of festival-goers leaving their ticket-buying until the last minute as cost-of-living pressures impact purchasing habits has also played a role in some event cancellations, it has been reported.
Impact of cancellations on communities
Like the Dolly Parton Festival, which filled local accommodation facilities, significantly boosted local trade, and developed a huge sense of local community pride and participation, these festivals have all played an important part in building regional tourism in the areas in which they were held.
The loss of these festivals to regional tourism, economies and communities will be felt for some time. Smaller regional festivals could also experience a similar outcome to the Dolly Parton Festival if wider support is not available.
State Member for Dubbo, Dugald Saunders, expressed his disappointment at the cancellation of the Dolly Parton Festival and suggested regional event and tourism funds like those provided under the previous Government’s post-COVID recovery initiatives are “just more casualties” in the Minns’ Government’s “budget-cutting frenzy.”
“It is extremely disappointing to hear of the Dolly Festival’s cancellation after another highly-successful event at the end of last year,” Mr Saunders said.
“Funding for events like these is not about propping them up year after year but helping them while they grow and become self-sustaining.
“I’ll be looking forward to seeing the latest state budget in June. But to be honest, I’m not very hopeful for the prospects of Regional NSW,” he added.
Similarly, Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton, also lamented the loss of the event.
“I am saddened to hear that the 2024 Dolly Parton Festival has been cancelled. I know the Festival provided a significant boost to local businesses, so I understand the whole community will be very disappointed that it won’t be going ahead this year,” Mr Coulton said.
“I do hope the Dolly Parton Festival can return in 2025, and I encourage organisers to reach out to my office for a letter of support prior to submitting any future funding applications,” he added.
Shire support appreciated
The Dolly Parton Festival’s organising committee acknowledged the ongoing support from the Narromine Shire Council, which had contributed significantly to the past two festivals with financial and in-kind support.
“It’s with a sense of deep regret and frustration I note the inability of the Dolly Parton Festival to continue in Narromine,” said Narromine Mayor, Councillor Craig Davies.
“That cultural events of this nature in rural locations are ignored but our city counterparts appear to never miss out is a blight on governments who lack the empathy and understanding that we also deserve to be funded appropriately,” he added.
Hopefully next year…
The organising committee hopes to turn the funding situation around in the coming months to be able to stage the event in 2025, and will continue working hard to ensure the Dolly Parton Festival can be revived in the future, Ms Rae said.
