Multicultural Cherry Fiesta wins Festivals and Community Events award

Hilltops Council's Multicultural Cherry Fiesta has won the Festivals and Community Events award (Population Under 50,000) category at the recent 2026 NSW Local Government Excellence Awards in Sydney. Held as part of the 2025 National Cherry Festival which generated an estimated $1.78 million for the local economy, the Multicultural Cherry Fiesta celebrated the cultural diversity of our region. Hilltops Acting General Manager Sarah Karaitiana said it is such a fantastic achievement and a great reflection on the team that delivered the event and the community that got involved to support the Cherry Fiesta. This was the first time the Cherry Fiesta was nominated as a finalist as well, with the event beginning as part of last year's Cherry Festival with the support of funding from the state government which helped the council put the Friday night event on. Ms Karaitiana said it was a special collaboration and celebration of people of all backgrounds celebrating the multicultural influence on the community. During the Local Government Excellence Awards, the Cherry Fiesta was up against 10 other finalists from across the state in the Festivals and Community Events award (Population Under 50,000) category including the Parkes Elvis Festival, Flavours of Mudgee and the Festival of Mosman, Armidale's Big Chill Festival and Broken Hill's Beyond the Dust street festival. Ms Karaitiana said they were up against some really strong events and some really long running festivals. These awards are a great opportunity to showcase what local government does, Ms Karaitiana said, and to be recognised was a real achievement. Looking forward, preparations are in full swing for the Cherry Festival which will also see the return of the Cherry Fiesta again with the support of more funding for the event.