Council is thrilled to announce $11,900 was raised at Boots n’ Beats, to go to flood relief efforts throughout the Camden area.

The money was raised through the sale of the Boots n’ Beats branded cowboy hats and the sausage sizzle hosted on the night and will be split evenly between three very special charity partners – Big Yellow Umbrella; Mother Hubbard's Cupboard; and Turning Point Camden.

The inaugural event was held on Saturday 18 June, 3-9pm, down at Camden Town Farm and was Council’s first major event since before the pandemic.

Mayor of Camden, Cr Therese Fedeli, said the event was a huge success.

“Between the pandemic, lockdowns and wild weather events, we’ve just had postponement after postponement of late. It had been way too long since we were able to get together as a community and enjoy one of the great events Council puts on,” Cr Fedeli said.

“And what better way to kick-start our event calendar again with a brand-new event! It was terrific to see people really getting into the spirit of Boots n’ Beats. I saw everyone enjoying the line dancing, roving entertainment, animal nurseries, craft activities and the many food and drink stalls available at the event.

“But the true showstoppers were the amazing talent we had on display – Grace Amos, NeillyRich, Tori Darke, Southbound XO, Shannon Noll and, of course, Adam Brand. To say we were wowed is an understatement. Their talent, stage presence, electric energy and pure love for what they do was inspiring. I’d like to say a huge thank you to the amazing talent, as well as all the food and product vendors, who made the night unforgettable.

“We were truly overwhelmed by the interest and attendance we had for this event. We had more than 15,000 attend throughout the day and, at about 5.30pm, we had to make the difficult decision to stop letting people in. I understand that was disappointing for some people, and we apologise for the inconvenience this caused.

“But I always like to look at the silver lining in everything – those who were unable to get into the event headed into Camden Town Centre and spent time at our local businesses there. Bringing people back into Camden Town Centre is something we try to achieve regularly, to make sure our fantastic long-standing businesses there are well loved and supported. It was great to hear they were busy all night!

“I know staff always take feedback on board to help create bigger and better events in the future, so this was another opportunity to learn and improve.”