The cycling and craft beer festival follows a string of successful events across the city in recent weeks, with the Mardi Gras, Food and Wine Festival and other calendar entries recording massive crowds.

Following two years of COVID-19, residents have become notorious for snatching up last-minute tickets to local events, leaving organisers only to guess how many people will attend.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Gears and Beers chairman Phil McIntosh anticipated a spike in cycling registrations between now and the event, with an even bigger crowd expected at the adjoining craft beer festival in Victory Memorial Gardens.

"It just makes it one of the biggest cycle events in Australia, to have 3000 people turning up to ride," he said.

"I think it's just amazing."

The festival has been organised by the Rotary Club of Wollundry, which only last month presented Wagga's Food and Wine Festival with great success.

According to Mr McIntosh, an economic study revealed that the last Gears and Beers festival in 2019 pumped $2 million into the Wagga economy.

The economic benefits of the city's blooming events calendar have not gone unnoticed by local businesses.

Local brewpub the Thirsty Crow has been inundated with business since COVID restrictions eased and events returned to the city.

General manager Yolanda O'Neill said the city's busy calendar has played a big role in helping many local hospitality businesses bounce back after a quiet two years.

"It's really been helpful in getting people back on their feet, in terms of hospitality and to have people from out of town coming as well is great," she said. "We're certainly much busier than we have been in the lead up to this weekend, which is promising to be epic."

The Thirsty Crow will kick off festivities on Saturday evening with its 'The Dirty Eve' event, and the brewery has concocted a new brew specifically for the festival called 'Powerale' which has been made with Gatorade.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: