LAUNCESTON'S business community last night learned what Ten Days on the Island would offer Northern Tasmania in 2013 - just days after the state Liberals said they would slash its budget in government.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While the program remains under wraps festival executive director and producer Marcus Barker said that the 2013 festival would see Launceston and Burnie joining Hobart as a festival hub, each hosting a full 10 days of events.
Seven other towns around the state will host a two to five-day event package.
The Ten Days on the Island Festival costs Tasmanian taxpayers $2.5 million - split between the state government and local councils - each year.
Opposition Leader Will Hodgman said at the weekend that ``in the current climate, Tasmania cannot afford such a luxury''.
He said that the Liberal alternative budget would halve the $1.25 million state funding for Ten Days, with next year's festival to be the last under the current arrangement.
Mr Barker defended arts funding yesterday, saying that the arts were significant for the Tasmanian community ``regardless of whether we are talking about Ten Days, Festivale, Mona Foma or Junction Arts Festival.''
``Any reduction in arts funding will have an impact,'' he said.
``And any suggestion that Ten Days is an event Tasmania cannot afford fails to recognise its huge returns to the community at large.''
Mr Barker referred to an economic impact study by KPMG that valued the economic return to Tasmania of the 2011 festival at more than $24 million.
``This represents a nine-fold return on the $2.5 million funding provided jointly by the state and local governments.
Hosted by the Launceston Chamber of Commerce and Southern Cross Austereo, last night's Ten Months 'til Ten Days cocktail party also allowed Mr Barker to outline other fresh features of the 2013 festival.
These include supper clubs open to audiences and performers in each festival town and a new approach to its masterclass program.
Called Beyond Ten Days, the mentoring program would be aimed more to upskill teachers rather than students.
``The idea is to create a Ten Days legacy where a teacher has the capacity to pass on the new skills to a greater number of young people over a few years,'' Mr Barker said.
Ten Days on the Island 2013 will be held from March 15 to 24.