The beautiful town of Berry … a new campaign urges visitors to extend their stay beyond the weekend. Photo: Berry Chamber of Commerce.
Berry is a hive of activity during long weekends and holidays but once the peak visiting time is over, business can slow to a crawl.
However, a new campaign – Extend the Weekend – aims to turn the peaks and troughs around and help return more stable trading to the town.
A grassroots effort by locals concerned about the town’s future has helped to secure $200,000 funding through the NSW Government’s UPTOWN Grant Program to launch Extend the Weekend.
The campaign aims to encourage visitors and locals to stay longer, spread visitation across more days and reduce the village’s reliance on peak holiday periods.
It will be delivered through A Day Well Spent, a four-part, multi-venue live music series running from February to June that will bring to the town high-calibre touring acts and regional talent across genres including country, jazz and blues, indie, funk and soul.
The series will launch on 19 February with a country-themed weekend, celebrating Berry’s agricultural roots.
Precinct coordinator Kate Dezarnaulds said the series was an exciting opportunity for Berry and a long-term investment in the village’s economic future.
“This was a grassroots effort by people who care deeply about Berry,” Ms Dezarnaulds said.
“What we’re hearing from local businesses is that the patterns they relied on before COVID haven’t fully returned.
“Trade is much more concentrated into Saturdays, school holidays and long weekends and with rising costs and tighter household budgets, having locals out on a Thursday night or visitors staying an extra night can make a real difference to whether a business is viable.
“Extend the Weekend is about responding to those pressures and supporting Berry’s businesses beyond the peak periods.”
Berry is one of the first regional communities selected for the grant program, joining Nowra, Huskisson and Sussex Inlet.
The initiative is designed to transform CBDs across regional NSW into thriving hospitality and cultural destinations.
Taylor Hudson from The General Store, one of the participating venues, said the campaign reflected a proactive approach to supporting local businesses.
“There’s no denying it’s a tough environment for regional hospitality beyond the main holiday peaks, but we’re feeling positive,” Taylor said.
“This live music series is about innovation and collaboration – testing new ways to share audiences, lift mid-week and shoulder-season trade and give people more reasons to spend time in town.”
The opening weekend – Thursday 19 to Sunday 22 February – will blend classic storytelling with modern country sounds to reflect the town’s evolving cultural identity.
The weekend will be anchored by a major daytime Sunday session across multiple venues, headlined by award-winning New Zealand artist Jenny Mitchel and modern country-rock act Jacob Fitzgerald & The Electric City.
It will also feature local favourites The Freewheelers, Tropical Strength and Illawarra-native Grace Mae from the Tamworth Academy of Country Music, with Thursday night performances by Alex Clark, Loki Hines, Solo West and Amber Kenny, all of whom have strong connections to the region.
South Coast Live music programmer Harrison Hall from Holy Pavlova said the opening bill was designed to send a clear signal about ambition and quality.
“Securing artists of this calibre sends a clear signal that Berry is back on the national touring map,” he said.
“Just as importantly, the series is about building real connections between musicians and venues and making live music part of everyday village life again.”
Jazz and blues will be the focus of the 19 and 22 March series, while indie will feature on 21 and 24 May , followed by funk and soul on 18 and 21 June.
For more details, visit Extend the Weekend Berry.
