Bathurst Region Locals

Local businesses are invited to show their festival spirit and turn the heads of the thousands of tourists who wander the streets of Bathurst across the event by participating in the Brighten Up Bathurst Window Display Competition.

2025 celebrates the tenth anniversary of the Bathurst Winter Festival. This year, we want you to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Bathurst Winter Festival. Businesses must choose a previous year of the festival and celebrate that years theme in your display.

Choose from one of the below years:

• 2015 - Bathurst Bicentenary
•  2016 - Fire & Ice
•  2017 - Weird & Wonderful
•  2018 - Into the Wild
•  2019 - Cosmic Paradise
•  2020 - Experience Differently
•  2021 - People & Place
•  2022 - Creative Lives
•  2023 - Connections
•  2024 - Memory

Images and inspiration for these themes can be found here(PDF, 11MB).

Register now

Starter Packs

Registered businesses will receive a starter pack for your display. All item included in the starter pack must be used in your display.

Prizes

Each year prizes are awarded for the best displays. Prizes for 2025 will be announced soon! 

Key Dates

• Monday 16 June - Registrations close
• Monday 30 June to Sunday 20 July - Displays must be up
• Tuesday 8 July - Photo submissions of display due by 3pm via Entry Submission Form here
• Saturday 6 to Sunday 20 July (Bathurst Winter Festival) - Judging to take place and winners announced
• Sunday 20 July - Last night of displays

Tips for creating a winning display

• Be unique - to make your shopfront truly stand out, consider showcasing a theme you think others may not choose.
• Choose a previous year of the Bathurst Winter Festival and celebrate that years theme in your display - research your chosen year, incorporate that years theme, key features of the festival in that year, props, colours or stories. Make it clear which year and theme of the festival you are showcasing.
• Get crafty - try making some elements for your display.
•  Take a great photo to submit - the photo you submit will be used to judge the displays. Try taking photos at different times of the day, or at different angles to avoid glare if the photo is through a window.
•  Tell us your display story - when your submit your photo, tell us how you decided to do your display, what theme you have gone with, what have you included, did you make anything etc.
•  Make sure to use the items from your window display starter pack.
• Add extra elements - try adding some unique items to take your display to the next level, maybe make it light up at night!

Local businesses and community groups are encouraged to take advantage of the Bathurst Winter Festival, and hold their own event or promotion as part of the festival.

The additional events encourage visitors and locals to explore the Bathurst Region and extend their stay during what was previously a quiet time of year for local businesses and tourism providers.

We encourage local businesses to come up with new and exciting events, activities or promotions to be included in the Bathurst Winter Festival Program of Events.

Register your event or promotion

Benefits

• Be seen!
  • Event listing on the Bathurst Winter Festival website and inclusion in the festival program.
  • Promotion across social media channels (e.g. potential to be seen by over 100,000 people).
  • Inclusion in eDMs to captivated audiences.
• Business goals - increase brand awareness and revenue.
• Leverage event attendance – increase visits to your business during the festival.
• Attract more visitors to Bathurst and promote it as a tourist destination.

Guidance

• It doesn't need to be an event, it can simply be a promotion or special add-on to your business for the duration of the festival.
• Your event can be free or ticketed.
• It can be held during the day or be part of the 'after dark' Festival program.

• We recommend creating an event that showcases your business' strengths to attract loyal and new customers.

Ideas and Inspiration

• Host a workshop or class
• A special Winter Festival inspired menu
• Extended trading hours
• Host an 'after dark' event
• Host a concert, performance or show
• A trivia night, karaoke or movie screening
• Run a festival competition
• Install a photo opportunity in your business
• Partner with a charity and run a fundraiser
• Run a tour of your facility

If you're stuck for ideas, please give our team a call on (02) 6333 6111 – we're more than happy to brainstorm ideas with you!

Local accommodation businesses are encouraged to take advantage of the Festival and increased visitation to the region by offering exclusive festival deals.

Businesses who offer accommodation deals for the festival will be promoted as a Festival Accommodation Partner, and provided festival flyers and attendee surveys to distribute in rooms before and during the festival.

Register

We believe in the power of collaboration and partnership and will happily work with you to customise a promotion/offering, please give our team a call on (02) 6333 6111 or email events@bathurst.nsw.gov.au to discuss further.

Benefits

• Be seen!

• Free listing on the 'Plan Your Visit' page of the Bathurst Winter Festival website.
• Inclusion in a social media campaign targeting visitors from out of region.
• Featured in a pre-event eDM of Where to stay in Bathurst.
• Opportunity to be seen across various digital platforms.

• Business goals - Increase brand awareness and revenue.
• Leverage event attendance – Increase stays.
• Brand awareness - leverage off the event by being included in Council's extensive promotion of the event and be seen by visitors from out of region.