The Lakes Festival is making its return from 7-16 November 2025 and Central Coast Council is calling on businesses, community groups and event organisers to help make the 10th anniversary program the most vibrant and memorable yet.
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The Lakes Festival is an annual celebration of one of the Coast\u2019s most cherished assets – our waterways. Each year, it brings people together through family-friendly, educational and sustainable activities across several Central Coast locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expressions of Interest are now open for businesses, organisations or individuals who want to celebrate our waterways and be part of The Lakes Festival 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Council Director of Community and Recreation Services, Melanie Smith said the festival has become a beloved Central Coast event, which is a testament to the locals who come together each year to bring it to life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLast year\u2019s program attracted over 20,000 attendees and generated $6.5million into the local economy. This year, we\u2019re excited to celebrate our 10th anniversary by showcasing even more fun and meaningful activities,\u201d Ms Smith said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re encouraging everyone \u2013 whether you\u2019re a business, artist, educator or community group \u2013 to get involved. You don\u2019t need to create something brand new to participate. Repurpose an existing idea or reimagine a product or service you provide. No idea is too big or too small.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expressions of Interest are now open for events and ideas such as:
\u2022 Festivals and pop-ups
\u2022 Eco-friendly and sustainability-focused events
\u2022 Sporting events, obstacle courses or fun runs
\u2022 Art and outdoor installations
\u2022 Workshops and educational activities
\u2022 Community and innovative events
\u2022 Any other event or activity that showcases and celebrates Central Coast waterways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Successful applications will gain exposure by being included in Council\u2019s festival program and marketing campaign. There\u2019s also funding available through the Event Innovation Funding program for events that meet key criteria upon application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Council Mayor, Lawrie McKinna emphasises the value of collaboration and community in making events like these a success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLast year, we had over 40 individual events in 14 different locations, including kayaking adventures, sand sculpting, yoga by the lake, comedy nights, theatrical performances, live music and much more,\u201d Mayor McKinna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Lakes Festival is a true reflection of our Central Coast community \u2013 our creativity and our ability to come together to celebrate what makes our region so special. I can\u2019t wait to see what innovative and collaborative ideas everyone comes up with in 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI encourage both seasoned participants and first-time contributors to step forward with their ideas \u2013 no matter how big, small or unconventional, and help us create an unforgettable 10th anniversary program.\u201d Expressions of Interest to participate in the 2025 Lakes Festival must be submitted online by 2pm, Monday 10 March 2025. Search \u2018Lakes Festival 2025 EOI’ at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au for more information.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Lakes Festival is making its return from 7-16 November 2025 and Central Coast Council is calling on businesses, community groups and event organisers to help make the 10th anniversary…","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8699,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-8692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-events"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/02\/Lakes-Fest-2024-FULL-51672.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/feed\/podcast\/coffee-with-a-coastie","embedCode":"The Lakes Festival 2025: Call for Community Ideas to Celebrate 10th Anniversary<\/a><\/blockquote>