One of Lismore's signature events, the Eat The Street festival, is coming back to the CBD for the next three years, beginning in November 2025.

The city’s signature food, arts, and culture festival will be held on Keen Street and The Quad on Saturday, November 15, 2025.

It has been four years since crowds of 10,000+ gathered on Carrington and Magellan Street to enjoy a vibrant celebration of food in the CBD. The last Eat The Street was during the early days of COVID-19, so a cautious, smaller crowd braved the warnings to attend an event before restrictions were put in place. Of course, the 2022 big flood put paid to any future plans until now.

From midday to 7pm, Keen Street between Magellan and Woodlark streets and the Lismore Quad will be closed to traffic and open to people. The city will come alive with food stalls, pop-up performances, live entertainers and family-friendly activities.

Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg said the change from the old Carrington/Magellan Street setup to Keen Street and The Quad was the central location, Work Health and Safety regulations and traffic management.

"And we've got this amazing facility just over my left shoulder (The Quad) that needs to be utilised more."

The Quad will have music playing all day, providing a place for people to sit, eat food and soak in the atmosphere of the day. Part of the Quad will be licensed, allowing anyone over 18 to enjoy a drink; however, most of the area will be all-ages, making it suitable for kids, adults, and grandparents.

Norco is the naming rights partner for Eat the Street for the next three years, putting in around $100,000, in addition to the NSW Government's Vibrant Streets Package of $292,280, also over three years.

(NORCO CEO Michael Hampson on Keen Street with Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg at today's announcement)

The nearly $400,000 in funding enables Lismore City Council to transform the CBD into a vibrant celebration of food, music, art and local culture, as well as support local retailers in the CBD.

“It brings visitors into our CBD, supports our local businesses and shines a spotlight on the extraordinary food, art and culture of our region,” Mayor Krieg said.

“This is a celebration of who we are. Our producers, our creatives, our entertainers, and our community all come together to create something truly special.”

"I think the overwhelming feeling, not only from businesses in Keen Street, but our residents as well, is they just want to see some activity. They don't want to go to the Gold Coast to experience these sorts of activities."

State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said she is delighted that the Minns Government grant has made it possible for the return of this very popular event.

“With the added NORCO sponsorship, this is a big vote of confidence in the future of Lismore,” she said.

“I’ll always keep pushing for projects that bring life to our community and help the local economy thrive.”

Eat the Street was first established in 2015 by the Lismore Business Promotion Panel in partnership with Lismore City Council. The first event attracted around 8,000 people and sold more than 500 tasting plates per stall.

The event grew rapidly, and by 2019, it was attracting more than 26,000 visitors and generating an estimated $2.6 million for the local economy. It has also been recognised with multiple awards, including Gold at the Regional Tourism Awards in 2018 and 2019, Silver at the NSW Tourism Awards in 2018, and a Highly Commended Award at the NSW Local Government Awards in 2019.

(Eat The Street 2020)

Council’s Chief Corporate and Community Officer, Graham Snow, said the Open Streets Program, led by Transport for NSW, allows councils to temporarily close streets to traffic and open them up for people-focused activations.

“The program is designed to inject vibrancy into town centres, encourage local economic activity and trial long-term place management strategies,” he said.

“Our streets are more than transport corridors. They are public spaces that support business, community connection and wellbeing. The Open Streets Program is helping us reimagine Lismore’s CBD as a vibrant, people-focused space.”

For the latest updates and event details, go to: visitlismore.com.au/eatthestreet.

For now, put the date in your diary.

Event details

• Eat the Street Lismore
• Saturday 15 November 2025
• 12 noon – 7 pm
• Keen Street (Magellan to Woodlark) and the Lismore Quad