ROAM Festival injects $41 million into Penrith economy

Locals and visitors flocked to ROAM Penrith late last year, with the festival held on Saturday, 26 and Sunday, 27 November.

This new event from Penrith City Council allowed attendees a chance to explore the sights, sounds and tastes of the Penrith CBD in High Street between Masters Place Car Park and Triangle Park, with a range of entertainers, hands-on workshops and art installations delighting people of all ages.

Attendees were treated to an immersive experience as they adventured through the event space, with the two-day event injecting $41.7 million into the Penrith economy, with $8.4 million in visitor spend. This is an increase of $3 million on the same period in 2021, with dining and entertainment venues and retail stores benefiting from the increased foot traffic into the CBD.

Penrith Mayor Tricia Hitchen was thrilled by the event’s success, one of several successful events hosted by Penrith City Council in 2022..

“I was delighted to see how the community has embraced this new event,” Cr Hitchen said.

“ROAM Penrith was a chance for Council to support local businesses and showcase the wonderful talent we have locally in a range of performing areas – from musicians and magicians to dance groups.

“With so many fun and inviting activities for attendees to take part in, it was great to see families, couples and friends all going out and enjoying our vibrant city.

“This event has been a great success thanks to the positive community response,” Cr Hitchen said.

After three long years, Penrith's largest family event, Real Festival is returning to Tench Reserve, Jamisontown in 2023, with the colourful and engaging program coming to life on Friday 15, Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 September.

Council are currently seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) to participate in the program, and are calling on all artists and entertainers, market, artisan and food vendors, art and light installations, and performance and visual artists to be part of the event. Interested vendors are invited to submit an EOI here.

For information on future Penrith City Council events, go to penrith.city/events