The grants offered through the Regional Event Fund identify investment in regional events as key to growing the NSW regional visitor economy.
The Regional Event Fund was established in 1996. The program is a mechanism to grow regional visitation by assisting events that contribute to the unique character of regional NSW to market themselves to visitors from outside of their Local Government Area.
Since its establishment, the Regional Event Fund has supported more than 650 events with more than $17 million in funding.
Destination NSW manages the fund and provides support to regional events through three streams:
Incubator Event stream: New events in their first or second years can receive up to $20,000 of seed funding to support activities that are likely to establish an event as a driver of visitation.
Flagship Event stream: Emerging events running for over two years can receive grants of $20,000 to increase their profile and encourage visitation. Events that have already received the maximum of three annual grants will be eligible for grants of $30,000 over three years.
Event Development stream: Established and proven events that have previously received and completed triennial funding through the Flagship Event stream can receive grants of up to $50,000 to support growth initiatives in the event’s strategic plan.
Flagship Event stream recipients
| Event name | Location |
|---|---|
| Henty Machinery Field Days | Henty |
| It's On! Under the Gums | Goin' to Gil Festival Weekend 2026 | Gilgandra |
| Snowies Multisport Festival | Thredbo |
| Glenworth Grazing Festival | Glenworth Valley |
| EAT Festival Sapphire Coast | Merimbula |
| Beatlesfest | Bathurst |
| Tocal Field Days | Tocal |
| Gravel n Granite 2027 | Tenterfield |
| Sculptures in the Garden | Mudgee |
| StoryFest 2027 | Milton |
| Cementa26 | Candos |
| Newcastle Fringe Festival 2027 | Newcastle |
| Strawberry Fields 2026 | Tocumwal |
| Soundboks Oz Grom Open | Lennox Head |
| Words on the Waves Writers Festival | Central Coast |
| Grazing Down the Lachlan | Forbes |
| New Annual 2026 | Newcastle |
| Festival of W 2026 | Wagga Wagga |
| Crank It Up | Bateman's Bay |
| Steampunk Goulburn | Goulburn |
| Grenfell Henry Lawson Festival of Arts | Grenfell |
| OpenField Arts Festival | Berry |
| The Big Chill Festival | Armidale |
| Casino Truck Show | Casino |
| Tweed Coast Enduro and Pottsville Beach Triathlon | Pottsville |
| Winter Wine Festival | Gerringong |
| Savour the Tweed | Tweed Heads |
| Newcastle Food Month | Newcastle |
| WinterSun Festival | Merimbula |
| Hunter Valley Wine & Beer Festival | Cessnock |
| Orange Chamber Music Festival 2027 | Orange |
| Huskisson Beer & BBQ | Huskisson |
Incubator Event stream recipients
| Event name | Location |
|---|---|
| Naturellement | Ettalong |
| Impact Festival | Lake Macquarie |
| Seven Valleys Wild Food Festival | Lithgow |
| Pours in the Port | Newcastle |
| Newcastle Tuna & Seafood Festival 2026 | Newcastle |
| Southern Voices | Goulburn |
| Barragga Yangga | Barragga Bay |
| The Nightcap Table | Dorroughby |
| The Gig | Orange |
| Bidgee Bricks | Wagga Wagga |
| Jam Exchange | Bowral |
| Night at the Museum | Temora |
| Sea Otter | Bateman's Bay |
| Canola Gateway Festival | Junee |
| The Three Rivers Treasure Trail | Maitland, Morpeth, Raymond Terrace, Dungog |
| Jackalope Block Party | Newcastle |
| Pearls & Plates | Broken Bay |
| Twilight Market | Bathurst |
| Sow Good Festival | Ulladulla |
| Rainbow in the Outback | Broken Hill |
| Tarago Medieval Faire | Tarago |
| BX l Bathurst Experience - Harvest After Dark | Bathurst |
| Southern Highlands Thoroughbred Week | Wallaby Hill |
Event Development stream recipient
| Event name | Location |
|---|---|
| Woolgoolga Curryfest | Woolgoolga |
