HEAT is continuing to have an impact on Tamworth’s marquee events.
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The hungry hordes turned-out bright and early for Taste in the Park, which has grown into one of the most-popular events on the Tamworth social calendar, but the unseasonable temperature did not go unnoticed.
The mercury climbed to 32 degrees on Sunday, more than seven degrees higher than the long-term April average.
The returned Flavours on Fitzroy event was served as the entree to the annual festival of food, where organisers noticed the crowd peaking later in the evening than previous iterations.
There is a lot of competition these days ... There’s a lot of reasons not to go out.
- Events manager Barry Harley
While it was a hot April-day, hundreds still sampled and supped their way through Bicentennial Park with almost 60 local and visiting stalls.
Tamworth Regional Council events manager Barry Harley told The Leader you’ve got to be willing to take whatever the weather dishes-up when it comes to outdoor events.
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The heat was also blamed for stifling week one crowds during this year’s country music festival.
“To stage an outdoor event, you’ve got to be willing to accept whatever nature dishes-up, that could be inclement weather or unseasonably hot weather and that does affect the crowds,” Mr Harley said.
He said the rapidly evolving entertainment industry, with the rise of on-demand streaming, was having an impact on the event scene too.
“There is a lot of competition these days,” he said.
“There’s a lot of reasons not to go out.”
While the entertainment market might be getting crowded, there was plenty of room in the stomachs of the Taste attendees.
Tamworth chef Corey Walmsley was almost sold-out of smoked meat by 1pm.
Following Friday’s Fitzroy feast, it was Mr Walmsley’s second smoked meat sell-out of the foodie festival.
Rivieria Bar and Grill manager Georgie Pontoni said the Bicentennial Park event was getting better each year, as awareness about the festival grows.
She said she didn’t believe the heat was a big factor for the crowds.
“People who live in Tamworth are used to it,” she said.