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Sun rises on festival proposal

Staff ReporterFremantle Gazette

Sunset Events asked the City of Fremantle if they could hire parts of the Esplanade Reserve and surrounding West End streets such as Croke and Mouat streets for the festival in February.

The festival has been held in Northbridge in recent years, but organisers say the crowd of 8000 patrons attending the independent music event has meant it has outgrown its present location. At the meeting last Wednesday, council supported the request and a Sunset Events representative said they were deciding whether to change the location of the festival to Fremantle or expand on the present Perth location.

‘The Esplanade and West End is a great location for an event like this and it would bring more young people into the city,’ he said.

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‘The window of opportunity would be big for local businesses.

‘There will also be the opportunity for several local Fremantle bands to perform.’

The issue came under much debate at the council meeting, with a number of councillors voicing their concerns over the request from Sunset Events to waive a number of fees without enough information being presented as to how beneficial it would be to the city.

Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt said he believed it was exactly the type of event that the city wanted to attract.

‘I am excited about the possibility of this event coming to Fremantle as it ticks a lot of boxes in my mind, including reinforcing Fremantle as a festival city, with fun and funky events,’ he said.

‘I really like the idea of thousands of young people from all over WA coming to this stunning corner of Fremantle.

‘I also really like that the often under-activated West End will get its laneways full of young people on the weekend and it will be a special and unique backdrop for a festival and could see it becoming an iconic Fremantle event,’ the mayor added.