Public holiday will bring city to the Scenic Rim

Yesterday, the Queensland Government announced the Scenic Rim region will mark the Ekka Show Day Show Holiday on Friday 29 October, creating a long-weekend for the community.

Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen said the holiday was originally scheduled for Monday 9 August, however was rescheduled due to the cancellation of the Ekka and COVID-19 lockdown restrictions at the time.

"The Queensland Government has announced that we will now be sharing the long weekend with both Brisbane and Moreton Bay local government areas, which will see an influx of visitors to the region," he said.

"When the August date was cancelled, Council specifically asked for our holiday to be scheduled on a different day to Brisbane so that when visitors arrive, all our businesses are open and not paying employees penalty rates.

"While we are disappointed we weren't successful with this request, the public holiday will still provide a great opportunity for the region's tourism industry and services sector to capitalise on.

"Late October is a wonderful time to visit the Scenic Rim, and I am confident our local businesses will leverage the opportunity to generate income that has been lost during the latest lockdown period.

"The Ekka is all about taking the country to the city, so I'm sure we'll be welcoming our city cousins with open arms and showing them some of the finest Scenic Rim hospitality.

"As it is the last long weekend on the calendar before the Christmas holiday period, I encourage those families who aren't working to take the time and have a break and recharge their batteries before the end of year festivities begin."

Destination Scenic Rim Chief Executive Officer, Jessica Greenaway echoed the Mayor's sentiment saying with the announcement of the new People’s long weekend, she would expect to see an influx of visitors from both the Brisbane and Moreton Bay areas enjoying our perfect October Scenic Rim climate.

"It is pleasing that the announcement has been made with plenty of time for both visitors and tourism businesses to plan and make the most of this opportunity, in what will be the second long weekend in October," she said.

"I would encourage visitors to the region to consider extending their October long weekends to take advantage of mid-week specials and to take a little longer to explore everything our region has to offer."

Image: Visitors will be able to enjoy a long weekend in the Scenic Rim on the People's long weekend in late October

Image source: Tourism and Events Queensland