Moomba long weekend sees more people in the Melbourne CBD

The City of Melbourne has reported a 392% increase in pedestrian movements recorded at Alexandra Gardens during the Moomba Festival at the weekend.

Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp thanked those who took advantage of free parking and public transport over the Moomba long weekend to rediscover the delights of the CBD, stating “encouraging people to into the CBD is critical to create jobs and strengthen our city’s economic recovery.

“Average pedestrian activity across the city over the long weekend was up by 19.1% compared to same days for the previous week."

“We had a 392% increase in pedestrian activity at our sensor at St Kilda Road/Alexandra Gardens with 40,000 tickets being snapped up for the Moomba Carnival.”

City Activation Lead, Councillor Roshena Campbell, said thousands of small businesses across the city were the beneficiaries of the increased pedestrian numbers.

Councillor Campbell noted “people from regional Victoria and across Melbourne came into the city and had the chance to enjoy some of the world’s best bars, restaurants, shops, galleries and theatres.

“Early evidence is that retail activity increased over the long weekend, in line with the 22% increase in pedestrian activity on Swanston Street at Melbourne Town Hall.

“We will continue to work with local businesses and other levels of government to keep providing attractions that bring people into the city.”

The Lord Mayor said major events like the Moomba Festival play an important role in attracting people from both the suburbs and regional Victoria into the city, adding “Melburnians love their sport and the A league game between Victory and City and the pre-season AFL game between Collingwood and Richmond helped achieve a 91% increase in pedestrian activity at Bourke Street near Marvel Stadium.”

Main images shows the Moomba Festival. Credit: City of Melbourne.