By Charlene Macaulay
Werribee’s pop-up park will return to Station Place in 2019.
The park will re-open to the public on January 18 and will run over five weeks until February 24 following a successful debut this year.
Wyndham economy, liveability and innovation director Peter McKinnon said residents and visitors could expect a similar layout and a range of entertainment options.
“The program will include free family-friendly live music, with a new line-up of headline artists crossing a range of genres,” Mr McKinnon said.
“Last year, we were thrilled to be able to feature a number of local musicians from Wyndham as support acts and that will continue again this year.”
Mr McKinnon said Street Food Sunday and free outdoor movies would return, while a revamped weekday program would include free workshops, classes, performances and after-school fun.
Werribee’s 2018 pop-up park, which ran for five weeks in January and February, attracted an extra 18,783 visitors to Werribee’s CBD.
But a number of Station Place traders called for the park to be discontinued or relocated following this year’s debut, saying the experiment had been bad for business by closing 22 carparks fronting their stores.
Mr McKinnon said feedback from nearly 350 traders and the public following this year’s pop-up park was “overwhelmingly positive”, with 93 per cent of businesses saying it helped build a positive perception of Werribee’s CBD and 100 per cent wanting to see the event return in some capacity.
“The survey identified some areas that businesses would like to see improved … these included short-term parking within Station Place.
“We’re looking forward to working with businesses to address those concerns.”
