By Dylan J. Stone
Businesses in Broken Hill are spending the next week preparing for the Broken Heel Festival, which returns to Broken Hill for the first time since 2019, after several cancellations due to the COVID pandemic.
The festival will be held from Thursday September 8 to Monday the 12th.
Local businesses are still seeing strong sales thanks to the August Mundi Mundi Bash, but sales are expected to increase significantly over the next week as many hundreds of tourists flock to Broken Hill for the Festival.
Hundreds more locals will also be taking part in the festival, which promises to be another bonanza on the local calendar.
Peter Price, from the Silverton Hotel, has been busy preparing for the festivalgoers on the Sunday – September 11.
“We will be running buses from the Palace to the Silverton Pub, and back, for those who want to come out and enjoy the day, and entertainment will be provided by some of the entertainers who will be actually performing at the festival,” Mr Price said.
He says he’s excited to see the festivalgoers back at the Silverton Pub after three years.
“It’s the best atmosphere I have ever come across, what a way to finish off the weekend with a really good laugh and a great time with friends.”
Another local businessperson, Natasha Bearman, from Love our Community Broken Hill, says ‘we have lots of hand-made quirky pieces that are designed locally, including items that have been designed specifically for the Heel Festival.’
Ms Bearman has also mentioned visitors and locals should “have a look for the sequin frock on Oxide Street,’” which is on display as a welcome to the many locals and tourists who will be taking part in the Heel Festival.
Love our Community will be extending their opening hours to 10am-4pm for the entire week of the Heel Festival, to allow customers and visitors the opportunity, “to enjoy a safe space and to enjoy our community atmosphere,” Ms Bearman says.
Other businesses have said they will be holding special competitions during the Heel Festival, or extending their trading hours to ensure they can accommodate festivalgoers.
While there is no universal approach on this occasion for local businesses to follow, unlike the Mundi Mundi Bash, the small businesses of Broken Hill will be giving it their all to be available and accessible over the next week.
No matter where you look, our local businesses will be opening their doors to visitors and locals alike, and it is pleasing once again to see our small business community embrace local events which certainly place Broken Hill on the map.
Picture: Natasha Bearman is prepping her business for the Broken Heel Festival.
