By Alesha Capone
The West End Experience, a pop-up outdoor dining project, will return to Werribee this week following a successful debut last year.
From Friday to Sunday (January 15 to 17), the western end of Watton Street will be transformed into a pop-up dining precinct with 15 different restaurants, cafes and bars serving delicious food and drinks.
Wyndham council has invited residents to enjoy long lunches and alfresco dining under the stars, while supporting local businesses, as part of the culinary feast.
The second West End Experience follows the success of the first event, which was held last month. Although numbers were restricted to ensure the event was COVID-safe, almost 2500 people attended the event across the three days.
Wyndham mayor Cr Adele Hegedich said she was looking forward to the second weekend of West End Experience.
“The Werribee Business and Tourism Association and in particular the businesses in the western end of the city centre came up with the idea of a large, shared outdoor dining area with entertainment,” Ms Hegedich said.
Cr Hegedich said more than 3000 people were expected to attend this week’s West End Experience.
The West End Experience is part of Wyndham City’s COVID-recovery strategy, which includes outdoor dining experiences, parklets and trials of shared pathways.
“Activations such as West End Experience, parklets, temporary cycle routes and pop-up parks at Point Cook, Williams Landing, Station Place and Soho Village are all ways for the community and businesses to trial and test ideas and concepts,” Cr Hegedich said.
Wyndham’s creative city portfolio holder, Cr Marcel Mahfoud, said that the council – with support from state government funding and the Business and Property Owner Association – was keen to provide the community affordable and accessible opportunities to start socialising, enjoying entertainment and supporting local businesses.
“One of the highlights of the last West End Experience was the Teddy Picker Pop Up,” Cr Mahfoud said.
“This time they are back for more! Wood-fired pizza and cocktails – what more could you ask for?”
Other restaurant offerings at the West End Experience will includes a range of cuisines from burgers, pizza and pub classics to Thai, Indonesian, Filipino and Indian.
Cr Mahfoud said the local Cheesecake Shop would also run a pop-up event for children.
The Werribee & District Collectable Vehicle Club members will showcase their cars at the pop-up dining precinct on Sunday.
To ensure the West End Experience is COVID-safe, each venue will have its own outdoor seating area, that will be available for bookings, with a smaller area for walk-up dining. QR code check-ins will be in place to ensure everyone’s safety.
The West End Experience will run between 5pm – 11pm on Friday, 11am – 11pm on Saturday and 11am – 9pm on Sunday.
See www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/westendexperience for details.
For more details about outdoor trading and dining opportunities for businesses visit: www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/outdoortrading
For more information on Werribee & District Collectable Vehicle Club visit: www.wdcvc.org.au/
Friday night’s West End Experience will coincide with a Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) performance at nearby Wyndham Park.
If you missed out on tickets to the MSO show, the performance will be livestreamed to the Experience Wyndham Facebook page from 7.30pm until 8.45pm. See: Facebook.com/experiencewyndham
