Shepparton has been lit up as part of a new festival for the region this weekend, and it is hoped big events such as this will charge its tourism sector and set the city up as a must-see destination.
For the first time the city held Illuminate Shepparton, a two-day festival at the new Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) and the Victoria Park Lake precinct, featuring art installations, music, performances, and a laser, light, and sound show to cap off the event.
Greater Shepparton City Mayor Kim O'Keeffe said they expected around 10,000 people over the two days.
"People are coming for more than just the designated days and that's what we're hoping to achieve for a lot of these events."
The event has been incorporated into the Shepparton Festival program and received federal government funding as part of the Building Better Regions fund.
Ms O'Keeffe said as the city continues to recover from the pandemic its move into the tourism sector opens exciting opportunities for the region.
Businesses welcome influx of visitors
Tourism Greater Shepparton board member Michael De Maria said hotels have been booked out for the past two weekends.
He said it was fantastic to see the buzz around town.
"Not only are they spending money on accommodation, but they are also spending money at local restaurants, spending money at petrol stations and supermarkets, it's great for everyone," Mr De Maria said.
With COVID-19 restrictions easing, Mr De Maria said it was not only tourists starting to have the confidence to return to travelling.
Ms O'Keeffe said the city's event calendar was packed out for the rest of the year, with more major events to come including music festivals and White Night which is expected to draw in 40,000 people.
"I'm feeling really excited about Greater Shepparton and how we've moved into this whole new space of tourism and much stronger opportunities outside of events," she said.
