19/03/2025
FESTIVAL PAUSED FOR 2025
The Town of East Fremantle has reluctantly decided to pause East Fremantle’s George Street Festival for 2025.
In recent years, the Town – one of the smallest local governments in Perth – has faced increasing challenges while delivering the award-winning event on the first Sunday of December each year.
Mayor Jim O’Neill said the decision had not been taken lightly, citing rising costs, inconsistent external sponsorship and the capacity of Town staff to offer an event that met community expectations.
With its unique blend of community spirit, music, food and showcasing the businesses within our historic George Street precinct, this free, family-friendly festival has been a highlight on the Town’s event calendar for over 30 years,” he said.
“We acknowledge that many local businesses, residents and stallholders will be disappointed by the decision to pause the festival this year, but the time is right for a review.”
The pause will allow the Town to consider the scope and long-term sustainability of the festival and other Town events. The Town will conduct extensive community consultation to learn which events and event outcomes are important to residents, businesses, Clubs and local groups.
Mayor O’Neill said the information would be used to develop an events strategy and annual events calendar that aligns with the Town’s capacity to deliver alternatives.
“I want to thank the stallholders, performers, suppliers, local artists, sponsors and community groups who have contributed to the festival’s success – including the extraordinary sustainability education outcomes we have achieved – over the years,” he said.
“We look forward to the future, to hearing from our community, and to planning Town events that celebrate all of the things that make East Fremantle so unique.”
This week, Council also endorsed a smaller-scale, community event to be held at the East Fremantle Community Park during the summer of 2025/26. More information, including the date and style of event, will be shared later in the year.
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Additional information
Since the George Street Festival began in the 1990s, it has grown from a local event to a highly regarded, award-winning, regional drawcard focussed on sustainability and community connection.
Crowd numbers have increased from around 7,500 (2007) to an estimated 17,000 in 2023. About 15,000 people attended the festival in 2024 with inclement weather impacting crowd numbers.
The festival budget has increased by almost 50 per cent since 2017, with one essential cost doubling between 2023 and 2024 alone.
In 2024, the festival budget was $163,000.
Non-essential expenses were reduced or removed from the 2024 festival to counter rising costs.
Inflation pressures were expected to continue impacting essential festival costs in 2025, including traffic management and event infrastructure, which may have had an adverse impact on entertainment offerings.
While the Town was successful in securing external sponsorship in 2024, in late 2023 Council was asked to provide an additional $23k to support the 2023 event, following a sponsorship funding shortfall.
The smaller scale event endorsed for the summer of 2025/2026 is intended to bring our community together. It will not replace East Fremantle’s George Street Festival.
If you have any questions about this announcement, please direct them to [email protected]
