'We certainly are able and keen': business chamber considers a repeat in 2024

The business community jumped in to save Party in the Park after Bathurst Regional Council cancelled the event on December 4, 2023.

Over the span of two days, business contributed $25,000, along with their skills in relation to event planning, to ensure there would be live entertainment and a fireworks show at Victoria Park.

Bathurst Business Chamber secretary Sam Forbutt said it was important to businesses to ensure the community still had an affordable way to celebrate New Year's Eve.

"Over the last couple of years there's been not a lot of good news going around, certainly globally, but also locally in Bathurst, and I think for the event to be cancelled and nothing to happen in our great city would just be a real disappointment," he said.

Already, the chamber is considering running Party in the Park again in 2024 should council opt not to take it back over.

Mr Forbutt said he wants to grow the event.

"It all depends on what council's doing. There's elections obviously in September, so we'll see what happens," he said.

"If council's decides they want to take it back up, for sure they can do that, but if that doesn't happen, then as a business chamber we certainly are able and keen to continue promoting the event.

"But I think, certainly if we are to do that, we'd love to grow the event and give the option for local businesses to get involved, more so as a way for the local business community to say thanks to the community of Bathurst for supporting us."

If 2023 was anything to go by, the business chamber has proven it is capable of hosting.

In such a short timeframe, they managed to organise and deliver an event that, attendance-wise, rivalled previous council-run New Year's Eve events.

While Party in the Park was missing the market stalls, food trucks and amusement rides from previous years, people were very happy with what was on offer, including two musical acts, a Rotary barbecue, giveaways of 3000 glowsticks and fireworks.

"I think it was a massive success," Mr Forbutt said.

"In terms of the crowd, from my point of view, it looked to be the biggest crowd that's been certainly in the last five years and I think the fireworks display was amazing as well, probably one of the best ones I've seen."

And people didn't seem to be missing the market stalls and rides.

"To be honest, not having the market stalls, not having the food trucks, I don't think it really mattered," Mr Forbutt said.

"I think everyone had a better time to talk to other people and the kids were playing, certainly in the Adventure Playground, and I think it actually added to the whole community spirit, community feel, of the event.

"Even though we had a little bit less than previous years, we had a better turnout and everyone I've spoken to had a really good night, so I think it was great."

That came as a relief for the organisers, who were a little nervous heading into their first event of this kind.

"We had 20 days to pull it together and we only had a very small team to put it on, so we certainly were nervous, but everything sort of aligned," Mr Forbutt said.

He gave a lot of the credit for the successful event to the business chamber's executive officer Maria Kamper and BoxGrove owner Ben Fry, a chamber member, who he said together did a lot of the leg work.

"Without them, it wouldn't have been a success the way that it was," he said.