Regional Event Fund - Flagship Event stream

To be eligible to apply for the Regional Event Fund Flagship Event stream, applicants must:

• be the event owner (i.e. own the rights to the event and hold the relevant approvals for the event) at the time of application and contract
• be financially solvent or be financially viable and able to demonstrate that they are likely to remain so over the duration of the funding period
• have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• be a sole trader, company, partnership, unincorporated and incorporated associations, or company trust entity
• have at least $20 million public liability insurance, or be able to secure before entering into a Funding Agreement
• be a legal entity and not a business name.

To be eligible for the $20,000 annual grant your event must:

• take place between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026
• have been held for a minimum of 2 years prior to applying for funding
• be held in one of the following 7 Destination Network regions listed below:
  • Destination Central West
  • Destination Country & Outback NSW
  • Destination North Coast including Lord Howe Island
  • Destination Riverina Murray
  • Destination Southern NSW
  • Destination Sydney Surrounds North
  • Destination Sydney Surrounds South

Please note: the Local Government Areas of Penrith, Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains and Wollondilly are no longer included in the above Destination Networks. 

For information relating to Destination Networks, including a boundary map, please visit: Destination Networks.

To be eligible for the $30,000 triennial grant, your event must:

• meet the eligible events criteria above for the $20,000 annual grant
• have received three Flagship Event Annual event grants.

Grants must be expended on marketing activities that:

• enhance the marketing and promotion of the Event outside its home region
• are directed at specific markets outside the immediate Local Government Area of the event
• aim to increase tourism business by influencing visitors' intention to travel to, and stay overnight in, the region and/or to extend their length of stay.

Eligible Costs may include:

• advertising or promotional costs
• brand design
• PR activities
• website development
• social or digital marketing
• cooperative marketing activities
• photography or videography
• event and visitor research.

All visual communication materials (advertising, fliers, posters, image gallery etc.) must be of an appropriately high, professional standard. 

If required, grant monies should be used to achieve this standard.

The following applicants are ineligible:

• Australian, State or Territory Government agencies or entities, including New South Wales Destination Networks
• political parties
• organisations that have not met project requirements (including acquittal and reporting) for previous funding received from Destination NSW
• events receiving any other financial support from Destination NSW (Event Investment and/or any other grant programs including other streams of the Regional Event Fund) per Financial Year, across all programs.

The following events are not eligible for funding from the Flagship Event stream:

• Events held in Local Government Areas not included in a Destination Network mentioned in the eligible events criteria.
• Regular (weekly/monthly) community events such as markets and bazaars, local sports meets (home/away games, regional tournaments), club gatherings (RSL, Rotary, Chambers of Commerce), classes, workshops etc.
• One-off events that are not planned to continue after a single year (for example, anniversary celebrations, concerts, exhibitions, theatre seasons, and sporting championships.)
• Religious events, for example, events that have a religious ceremony as the principal focus such as Easter or Christmas celebrations. Events held over weekends such as Easter may be considered if the religious element is not the focus (for example, a food or music festival).
• Community public holiday celebrations such as Anzac Day, Australia Day, King’s Birthday if the holiday is the primary focus. Events held over public holidays will be considered if the holiday is not the focus (for example, a food or music festival).
• Event series such as sporting events, music festivals or exhibitions held in multiple locations across NSW and/or Australia.
• Touring events such as concert tours, circuses and fun fairs.
• Promotional events (that is, where marketing a specific product and/or cause is the principal objective).
• Events held in Greater Sydney including Penrith, Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Wollondilly.
• Events whose overnight visitation impact is not immediate i.e.: that promote visitation to a destination at a later date.
• Business events (that is, trade shows and exhibitions, conferences, industry meetings).
• Consumer events that include a business event as an extension event will not be excluded from the Regional Event Fund provided the consumer event is the primary applicant.
• Events owned and/or operated by an agency or entity of the Federal Government, or a State or Territory Government including NSW.

Grant funds cannot be used to replace previous or other funding for the Event, such as:

• prize money, gifts, or contributions to charitable groups
• performer/artist fees
• infrastructure costs
• travel expenses
• event staging costs
• local council fees
• general administration costs such as staff costs, salaries, administration and services
• costs incurred in the preparation of a grant application or related documentation.

• An event awarded a grant through previous Regional Event Fund rounds that has been deferred to FY2025/26 as a result of exceptional circumstances such as extreme weather is not eligible to apply for additional funding for the same event from the Regional Event Fund in 2025/26.
• A single event may not receive grant funding from more than one stream of the Regional Event Fund program (Incubator, Flagship or Event Development) in the same year.