In yet another blow to the events calendar, Wagga City Council has announced that the New Year's Eve community celebration for this year has been cancelled.
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Mayor Greg Conkey said the decision was made for the public's safety and in compliance with current NSW public health orders as a result of coronavirus.
"We realise this will be disappointing for many in the community, but we are confident everyone understands the challenging circumstance we, along with the rest of the nation, are facing," he said.
"While restrictions on gatherings and movements may ease following Christmas, the likelihood of this occurring is unknown at this stage.
The planning for this type of event requires a reasonable lead-in time to organise, so the decision to cancel has been made now."
It is not the only council-related event to be affected, with the Mayor's Christmas party and the council's staff Christmas party also cancelled.
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"We had a $50,000 budget to put on fireworks in Wagga," he said.
"The money is still there. We haven't put it into consolidated revenue at this stage, but it still remains as part of our functions and events budget, so we will see where that money will go."
Cr Conkey said while he understood it would be disappointing, there was no reason give up on the day altogether.
"We are encouraging Wagga people to get out there and celebrate not only Christmas but New Year's Eve and go to restaurants and book in and support the local economy that way," he said.
Red Steer owner Ben Stratton said, in his experience, New Year's can be a quiet time for pubs and restaurants not on the main strip.
But, he added, the cancellation of the event at the Victory Memorial Gardens might provide a chance to inject some more money into businesses.
"It might push us to try a bit harder to lure more business out here," Mr Stratton said.
"It's anyone's go."
Mr Stratton said he does foresee a lot of residents travelling to other parts of NSW, or the country even, around the holidays but encouraged those staying home to consider booking a night out.
"It's fair to say we are practised at providing a COVID-safe environment," he said. "So, why not book for a night out."
Wagga's Woodfired Wagon owner Jay Vidler said losing the end of year event would be another blow to the food van industry in the city.
He added that his business has managed to survive due to catering and his initiative of setting up the wagon for takeaway nights.
"I look forward to seeing events start to come back now that outdoor events can have up to 500 people," he said.
"It will be good to start getting back out there as we see the calendar fill up again."