The City of Ballarat is calling on event organisers to apply for funding through the Tourism Events Grant Program (TEGP), with round two applications now open for 2025.
The program supports events that showcase Ballarat as a premier destination, encouraging visitors to travel, stay, and experience the city's unique blend of heritage and creativity.
Grants of between $5,000-$20,000 are available across three streams including leisure, sports and business events.
City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves said the program is about building Ballarat's reputation as a bold and dynamic events destination.
"We want events that don't just engage locals but bring people from across Victoria and beyond to Ballarat," she said.
"These grants are designed to seed and scale the kinds of events that boost visitation, strengthen our visitor economy, and put Ballarat on the map."
The Tourism Events Grant Program has already supported a range of successful and emerging events that contribute to the city's events calendar, including the recent Obsidian Dark Beer Festival held in June.
With a focus on dark beer styles, the festival provided a platform for Ballarat's five local breweries to showcase their skills alongside some of Victoria's strongest independent producers.
Festival director Tom Madden said the Tourism Events Grant Program was crucial in their second year of running the festival.
"The grant support from the City of Ballarat helped us promote the festival to new audiences and showcase the strength of regional Victorian breweries," he said.
"The support has helped us establish Obsidian as a unique tourism offering that attracts visitors to Ballarat. With our second year selling out, the event is now well and truly on the map and is quickly becoming a must-do for dark beer lovers."
Looking ahead, Freestyle Kings will bring adrenaline-fueled excitement to Ballarat in February 2026. The action sports show, featuring some of the country's best freestyle motorcross and BMX athletes promises to draw visitors from across Victoria for a high-energy, family-friendly event.
Senior Project Manager, TEG Sport, Nathan Brown said the support received from the City of Ballarat to bring events to the region via these funding programs is fantastic.
"It's not just funding - it's a chance to collaborate and grow. Partnering with the City adds an extra layer of credibility, as we break into new markets, helping us to reach more people, create a bigger impact, and bring the energy of Freestyle Kings to Ballarat in a way we couldn't do alone," he said.
Funding can be used to attract visitors through marketing, for infrastructure or venue hire to improve visitor experience and accessibility, and initiatives that build capability and support event growth.
