Working with Royal Eve organisers, Vibestown, and the City of Launceston council, BeerFest organiser James Harding said it would be an event to rival Hobart’s Taste festival. 

“It’s going to be a big event. We’ve been around eight years and BeerFest is very well-liked and supported in the community,” he said. 

The New Year’s Eve event will continue to showcase the best Tasmanian beer, wine and cider and food, with increased family-friendly events. 

Mr Harding said the New Year’s Eve event would be no different to what the event had already been offering. 

“Everyone who knows BeerFest knows it’s family friendly and we’re just going to increase the kids’ activities,” he said. 

“We’ll have jumping castles, face painting, and obviously the fire works at 9.30pm for children and then at midnight. A party represents all ages and that’s what we’re going to be doing.” 

Vibestown’s Ryan Limb said the organisation had been working with the BeerFest organising committee for some months, and would continue to help with the event handover.

“We’re already focusing on some other things in Vibestown, with our main one being Party In The Paddock,” he said. 

The City of Launceston council budgeted $40,000 for Launceston’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, acting mayor Rob Soward said.

BeerFest will also receive $6125 in event sponsorship funding from the council.  

“From a council view point, it’s very important that we have an event in our city [on New Year’s Eve]. Vibestown have been terrific stepping in the last few years to run the event,” Alderman Soward said. 

“It makes me really proud that we’ve got the former organiser working with the new organiser on delivering a quality event.”

Mr Harding said BeerFest brought millions of dollars into Launceston.

“Even just keeping the numbers that we have been in the last eight years will bring in at least $1.5 million, but we’re hoping to take it even bigger,” he said.

He hopes to eventually grow it into a four-day event. The main reason for BeerFest’s date change was to avoid interfering with Mofo.