The West End Experience Is Back!

Wyndham City’s West End Experience is back just in time to celebrate the New Year! The western end of Watton Street in Werribee will again be transformed into a pop-up dining precinct with 15 different restaurants, cafes and bars providing residents with a smorgasbord of outdoor dining options.

From 15 – 17 January, you can enjoy long lunches and alfresco dining under the stars!

The event follows the success of the first West End Experience in December. Although numbers were restricted to ensure the event was COVID-safe, almost 2,500 people attended over the three days, providing a big boost for businesses.

Wyndham City Mayor Cr Adele Hegedich said she was looking forward to the second weekend of West End Experience.

“The Werribee Business and Tourism Association and in particular the businesses in the western end of the City Centre came up with the idea of a large, shared outdoor dining area with entertainment,” Ms Hegedich said.

“The ongoing feedback and input from local businesses and people who attended will see the West End Experience evolve and flourish over time.”

“We cannot wait to see everyone again at the January event. We expect more than 3000 people to attend over the three days. It’s an event not to missed with multiple new additions and of course, the crowd favourites that were so popular in December.”

Business owners were also pleased with the December event. Mark from Truckstop Deluxe said: “Truckstop Deluxe went really well and the weather was perfect for it. We had lots of great feedback from customers and friends about the new street set-up.”

The West End Experience is part of Wyndham City’s Covid-recovery strategy, that includes outdoor dining experiences, parklets and even trials of shared pathways.

“Activations and events such as the West End Experience are all part of collaborative initiatives to support businesses and jobs in our City and Town Centres and to create vibrant, liveable places for our community,” Cr Hegedich said.

“Activations such as West End Experience, parklets, temporary cycle routes and pop-up parks at Point Cook, Williams Landing, Station Place and Soho Village are all ways for the community and businesses to trial and test ideas and concepts. Feedback, data and evidence collected during these trials and pilots helps us to guide longer term planning, design and creative use of our spaces.”

Wyndham’s Creative City Portfolio holder Cr Marcel Mahfoud said Wyndham City, with support from State Government funding and the Business and Property Owner Association, is keen to provide the community affordable and accessible opportunities to start socialising, enjoying entertainment and supporting local businesses.

“We have had such wonderful feedback from the community. One of our Facebook followers, Kelli, said the last event was a terrific activation of the Werribee City Centre. She also mentioned the great vibe and how wonderful it was to see so many people supporting local businesses,” Cr Marcel Mahfoud said.

“One of the highlights of the last West End Experience was the Teddy Picker Pop Up. This time they are back for more! Wood fired pizza and cocktails – what more could you ask for!”

“This time there are also some new additions. Following the success of the first weekend, Calista, who owns the local Cheesecake Shop is very keen to participate in the next one and you will now see a pop-up event which gives kids the chance to get their own ‘Decorate a cupcake’ kit.”

A new addition will be the Werribee & District Collectable Vehicle Club, who will showcase their cars on Sunday 17 January.

The restaurant offerings at the West End Experience includes a diverse range of cuisines from burgers and pizza, pub classics, cheesecake to Thai, Indonesian, Filipino and Indian.

Each venue has their own outdoor seating area that will be available for bookings with a smaller area for walk-up dining. QR Code check-ins will be in place to ensure everyone’s safety.

Take advantage of the warm summer weather and walk or bike ride to enjoy the West End Experience. Parking is also available with 202 car parks right next door.

Friday night’s West End Experience coincides with the performance by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) at nearby Wyndham Park. If you have tickets to the event, catch dinner at West End before the performance. If you missed out on tickets, the performance will be livestreamed to the Experience Wyndham Facebook page from 7.30pm until 8.45pm – Facebook.com/experiencewyndham

Join us for the next West End Experience:

End Experience and participating restaurants, visit: https://www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/westendexperience

For more details about outdoor trading and dining opportunities for businesses visit: www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/outdoortrading

For more information on Werribee & District Collectable Vehicle Club visit: https://www.wdcvc.org.au/