A new community event in Wodonga aims to grow the city’s night-time economy by encouraging the community to eat, drink and support local businesses after hours.
The inaugural Fridays in the Square event on February 17 will transform Junction Square into a food and entertainment precinct, with local band Lion Bear providing free music and food providers offering tasty treats and drinks, while market stalls will offer a range of local goods for Friday night shoppers.
The food offerings will include special menus from Andiamo Street Food, The Goods Shed, gelato from Topolino, pop-up cocktails from the Piccolo Pod, a Prosecco bar from Miss Amelie and local traders onsite.
A DJ will play tunes to entertain marketgoers and those enjoying the cocktail space.
Wodonga Council’s Team Leader Events, Paige Dalley, said the community is also encouraged to enjoy the fare of other businesses in the CBD, with people welcome to buy food and other goods and bring them along on the night.
“This will be a great night for people who want to enjoy a fantastic vibe and terrific food but more than a fun night out, it’s also about creating a buzz in the CBD, generating business for local traders and helping to create jobs and opportunities for our community,” she said.
“We have some great businesses offering enjoyable night-time experiences so by providing free entertainment and harnessing the talents of our renowned hospitality sector we hope to encourage people to visit the city centre in the evenings and grow our local economy.”
Wodonga Council’s Hospitality Map on the City Heart website will be updated and linked to a QR code to allow diners to consider a wider range of food and beverage options in the CBD.
“We encourage anyone who enjoys great food and music to attend our first Fridays in the Square and in doing so, we hope an increasing number of people will support local businesses after hours and help to make Wodonga’s CBD a more engaging and enjoyable space at night,” Mrs Dalley said.
The next Fridays in the Square will be held on March 31, when stores will be encouraged to remain open for late night shopping so that event visitors can visit local businesses and enjoy a more active CBD.
Any business owners wanting to take part in after-hours trading on March 31 are invited to contact Wodonga Council’s Economic Development team.