Moomba long weekend delivers more pedestrians

The Moomba Festival brought back the buzz and excitement to Melbourne over the long weekend, with a massive 392 per cent increase in pedestrian movements recorded at Alexandra Gardens.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp thanked everyone who took advantage of free parking and public transport over the Moomba long weekend to rediscover the delights of the CBD.

"Encouraging people to into the CBD is critical to create jobs and strengthen our city's economic recovery," the Lord Mayor said.

"Average pedestrian activity across the city over the long weekend was up by 19.1 per cent compared to same days for the previous week." 

"We had a 392 per cent increase in pedestrian activity at our sensor at St Kilda Road/Alexandra Gardens with 40,000 tickets being snapped up for the Moomba Carnival."

City Activation Lead, Councillor Roshena Campbell, said thousands of small businesses across the city were the beneficiaries of the increased pedestrian numbers.

"People from regional Victoria and across Melbourne came into the city and had the chance to enjoy some of the world's best bars, restaurants, shops, galleries and theatres," Cr Campbell said.

"Early evidence is that retail activity increased over the long weekend, in line with the 22 per cent increase in pedestrian activity on Swanston Street at Melbourne Town Hall.

"We will continue to work with local businesses and other levels of government to keep providing attractions that bring people into the city."

The Lord Mayor said major events like Moomba play an important role in attracting people from both the suburbs and regional Victoria into the city.

"Melburnians love their sport and the A league game between Victory and City and the pre-season AFL game between Collingwood and Richmond helped achieve a 91 per cent increase in pedestrian activity at Bourke Street near Marvel Stadium," the Lord Mayor said. 

Pedestrian Activity Moomba Weekend Comparison