THE Perth Fashion Festival was the big winner when the state government announced funding for 10 arts and culture events last week.
Eventscorp will provide $1.5 million to the arts projects, with Perth Fashion Festival receiving $720,000, almost half the total amount, staggered over three years.
The Perth fashion event will receive $220,000 this year then a further $250,000 in each of 2011 and 2012.
It will receive an additional $200,000 this year from the Department of Culture and the Arts.
A total of 25 events applied for Eventscorp funding.
Other successful applicants included: Sculpture by the Sea in Cottesloe; the Fremantle Street Arts Festival; the 2010 Veteran’s Hockey Championship, expected to attract more than 1,000 players; the Argyle Diamonds Ord Valley Muster; and the Mundaring Truffle Festival.
Perth Fashion Festival is a week-long festival featuring 50 events, including 11 fashion parades, workshops and the WA Fashion Awards. It attracted an estimated 33,000 guests last year.
Festival director Mariella Harvey-Hanrahan called the secured funding an “exciting and important milestone”.
“We can continue building on the festival’s success, delivering a world-class event that offers a unique platform for local designers, models and fashion industry professionals to showcase their talents to both a local and international market,” she said
Ms Harvey-Hanrahan said the support of the Western Australian business community was integral to the success of the fashion festival.
Tourism Minister Liz Constable said the funding would boost tourist activity and bolster Perth’s attractiveness to an international audience.
“Events play an important role in growing tourism and increasing the targeted offerings of the state to both interstate and international visitors and Eventscorp’s financial support enables events to develop to the next level,” Ms Constable said.
