Mayor's Message - Friday 12 May

When it comes to heritage, in my opinion there is nowhere in Australia that does it quite like Ballarat. 

As Mayor, I am incredibly proud to launch the 2023 Ballarat Heritage Festival this month, one of the City of Ballarat’s annual flagship events. 

The Ballarat Heritage Festival is so uniquely Ballarat and provides a great opportunity for us to showcase our complex and rich history each year.   

This year’s festival has a bumper program, and I can’t wait to see Ballarat come to life from 19-28 May, with upwards of 20,000 people expected to attend.  

The exciting program will see more than 50 events delivered across 10 action-packed days. 

The Ballarat Heritage Festival won bronze at the Victorian Tourism Awards in the Festivals and Events Category last year, and in 2023 we've gone above and beyond to ensure the event is bigger and better than ever before. 

I'm looking forward to seeing the newest addition to the program, the Candlelight Concerts on Friday 26 May, where some of the greatest pieces of film music of the modern era will be played in the candlelit Ballarat Civic Hall. 

We also see the return of the Craft Lab over the weekends of 20 and 21 May and 27 and 28 May. It is a great celebration of traditional artisanal skills coupled with a contemporary flair. 

The Heritage Harvest weekend is a great way to explore the flavours of Autumn at the specially curated food and producers' market at Sovereign Hill.  

The Ballarat Heritage Festival is a huge event on our calendar that brings a lot of visitors to our city, but also delights locals and instils a sense of pride. 

I encourage all Ballarat residents to get out and experience the incredible events on offer while inviting family and all visitors to join them.  

May I extend the warmest of welcomes to our magnificent city - I am sure you will enjoy exploring our wonderful history and town as part of the 2023 Ballarat Heritage Festival.