Hawkesbury City Council’s calendar of annual major events do more than bring the community together – they also deliver tangible economic benefits to local businesses.
Light Up Windsor street festival attracts more than 12,000 visitors to the Windsor town centre with Christmas markets and entertainment in early December. Our newest event Savour the Flavour Hawkesbury – a celebration of local food and beverages, attracted nearly 5,000 visitors to the Richmond town centre in its inaugural showing in October 2022.
Thanks to economic data from, Spendmapp developed by Geografia, which measures digital transactions (credit and debit, but not cash spending) across geographical areas, we are able to measure these benefits accurately for the first time.
Hawkesbury City Mayor Sarah McMahon said the economic boost for local businesses was always welcome, but especially crucial as the local economy recovers from COVID-19 lockdowns and endures the new challenge of rising interest rates.
“Local business is the lifeblood of the Hawkesbury economy. Our events are designed to provide residents the opportunity to celebrate, an economic stimulus for local businesses, and to showcase the Hawkesbury to visitors,” Mayor McMahon said.
“Seeing the crowds in Richmond and Windsor last year was very exciting and there was standing room only at many of the nearby cafes, restaurants and retailers. These events get bigger every year as word spreads about how great they are.
“We look forward every year to holding these very special events and we can’t wait to hold them again in 2023.”
Light Up Windsor street festival
Light Up Windsor was held on Saturday 3 December 2022 from 5pm-9pm. Across that day, there was $1.101 million spent by locals and visitors in Windsor. This compares to $953,593 spent the previous Saturday (26 November) and $1.073 million spent the following Saturday (10 December).
For dining and entertainment, $272,000 was spent in Windsor across the entire day, compared to $200,000 the previous Saturday, and $201,200 the week after.
Savour the Flavour Hawkesbury
Savour the Flavour Hawkesbury was held on Saturday 15 October 2022 from 4pm-8pm. Across that day, there was $1.462 million spent by locals and visitors in Richmond. This compares to $1.211 million spent the previous Saturday (8 October) and $1.274 million spent the following Saturday (22 October).
For dining and entertainment, $320,500 was spent in Richmond across the entire day, compared to $182,200 the previous Saturday, and $225,700 the week after.
