Ice skating is on its way back to Fremantle, with the PopcornX Winter Festival returning to the port city after a two-year hiatus.
The festival is centred on a temporary outdoor ice rink at Fremantle’s Esplanade Park, which is expected to attract around 100,000 visitors.
Sydney-based PopcornX’s first Winter Festival was held in Fremantle in 2012, while the City of Fremantle announced this week it had signed a sponsorship deal to establish the rink in the month of July for the next three years.
The city expects the economic benefits from the festival to exceed $1 million.
At its council meeting late last month, the city said the timing of the event was ideal for the city, boosting visitor numbers during the winter months which are typically poor for retail and hospitality businesses.
The Fremantle ice rink will likely compete for patrons with the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority-backed Winterland facility, which is also scheduled to set up in July at the Perth Cultural Centre.
Winterland promoters Big Bang Productions and The Event Agency ran the Winterland ice rink for 17 days last year, attracting around 30,000 attendees.
The promoters promised a bigger and better event in 2015 following last year’s success.
