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propertyHome/PhotosPhotosIn a record-breaking year, this Craft Fair isn't resting on its laurelsBy Saree Salter, Paul Scambler, and Declan DurrantNovember 12 2024 - 5:30amBy Saree Salter,
Paul Scambler, and Declan Durrant · November 12 2024 - 5:30amFacebookTwitterWhatsappEmailCopy The Tasmanian Craft Fair has had one of its biggest years ever, smashing its attendance records
and drawing in massive crowds from mainland Australia.
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50% off EOFY SaleAll articles from our website & appThe digital version of Today's PaperCrosswords, Sudoku and TriviaAll other regional websites in your areaContinue The Deloraine event
welcomed more than 18,000 visitors this year, surpassing its pre-COVID highs and exceeding the targets for the first year of a five-year plan of new initiatives and programs.
Of its 18,000, around 1500 travelled from interstate - a figure its organisers are keen to boost as the event heads into its 44th iteration in 2025 and hopes to maintain its title as the
largest working craft event in the Southern Hemisphere.
"The support we've received this year -- from our attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors -- has been overwhelming," said Michael Plunkett, the Tasmanian Craft Fair's director.
"We are thrilled to confirm that we have met our target. [But] while attendance figures are always exciting, it's the stories behind the numbers that truly inspire us."
View +11 PhotosPictures by Craig George and Paul Scambler The success has been attributed to a significant increase in family attendance at this year's event, with children and young people
participating in craft demonstrations and workshops in droves.
"This aligns with our mission to pass on the skills and traditions of our craft heritage to future generations," Mr Plunkett said.
The annual fair has long played an important role in the Tasmanian craft and makers community, and, accordingly, an ever-growing importance to the north of the state's cultural scene.
And for many of the makers, the event is a surefire economic boon -- pumping somewhere near $3 million into the local economy annually -- by supplying them with a chance to sell their wares,
or even take home its coveted prize, the $10,000 Premier's Arts Prize.
This year's winner was Gene McLaren, who has exhibited at the fair for eight years, with a "stunning" Stag Bust sculpture.
The record highs come in the first of the Fair's five-year strategic plan for the two-day festival, with announcements and new initiatives for the event set to roll out in the year ahead.
The event is striving toward an ambitious goal of attracting 30,000 visitors by 2030, a focus point that will ensure the Tasmanian Craft Fair is "recognised as Australia's most iconic art
and craft experience," according to Mr Plunkett.
The Examiner photographers Craig George and Paul Scambler both snapped pictures at the event.
If you would like to purchase photos captured and published by The Examiner please email [email protected] to make your request.
ShareFacebookTwitterWhatsappEmailCopySaree SalterNorthern Tasmania born and bred. School reporter, interested also in the Launceston music scene. Email me at
[email protected] Tasmania born and bred. School reporter, interested also in the Launceston music scene. Email me at [email protected]
ScamblerphotographerPhotographer with the Examiner for 36 years.Photographer with the Examiner for 36 years.Declan DurrantJournalistDeclan Durrant was The Examiner's arts and culture
reporter, theatre critic and occasional columnist between 2023 and 2025. He covered art, artists, museums, exhibitions, music, and restaurants -- and everything else cultural under the
sun.Declan Durrant was The Examiner's arts and culture reporter, theatre critic and occasional columnist between 2023 and 2025. He covered art, artists, museums, exhibitions, music, and
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