31/08/2026
BREAKING NEWS!!!
NEWCASTLE HORSE RACING EVENT UNLOCKS ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE THAN 200 BUSINESSES AS MUNICIPAL PROFIT IS REINVESTED INTO LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
NEWCASTLE, KWAZULU-NATAL – 30 AUGUST 2026 – The Newcastle Horse Racing Event has delivered a significant economic boost to the city, benefiting more than 200 businesses and service providers while creating employment opportunities and generating increased demand across Newcastle’s hospitality, tourism, creative, entertainment and informal trading sectors.
Newcastle Municipality says the event has demonstrated the substantial economic value that can be unlocked when major events are deliberately positioned as platforms for local economic development, entrepreneurship, tourism and job creation.
Of particular significance is the Municipality’s commitment to reinvest the profit generated from the event into Local Economic Development (LED) initiatives, ensuring that the benefits generated by the event contribute towards creating further economic opportunities within Newcastle.
MORE THAN 200 BUSINESSES BENEFIT
The economic impact of the event extended far beyond the racecourse, with more than 200 businesses and service providers benefiting directly and indirectly from the increased economic activity.
The beneficiaries included:
• Small and emerging businesses and SMMEs
• Event planners and event-management companies
• Content creators and photographers
• Videographers and graphic designers
• Models and creative practitioners
• DJs, musicians and performers
• Sound engineers and technical production teams
• Informal traders
• Restaurants and food outlets
• Accommodation establishments
• Petrol stations
• Transport operators
• Security and cleaning service providers
• Décor, branding and printing companies
• Tourism-related businesses
• Other local suppliers and service providers
The broad range of beneficiaries demonstrates the multiplier effect of major events, with visitor spending flowing through multiple layers of the local economy.
94% ACCOMMODATION OCCUPANCY
The event also generated a significant boost for Newcastle’s hospitality sector, with 94% accommodation occupancy recorded during the event period.
Hotels, guesthouses and other accommodation establishments benefited from visitors travelling to Newcastle to attend the event, while restaurants, food outlets, retail businesses and petrol stations experienced increased economic activity associated with the influx of visitors.
The Municipality believes that these figures demonstrate the potential of major events to contribute meaningfully to Newcastle’s tourism economy.
MORE THAN 200 INDIRECT JOBS
The event also supported more than 200 indirect jobs across various areas of event delivery and related economic activity.
These opportunities extended across hospitality, catering, security, cleaning, transport, technical production, event management, entertainment and other support services.
Although some of these opportunities are event-related and temporary, they provide valuable income, experience and exposure for local workers and service providers while strengthening the capacity of the local events economy.
THE CREATIVE ECONOMY BENEFITS
One of the notable features of the event was the participation of Newcastle’s creative economy.
Content creators, photographers, videographers, designers, models, DJs, musicians, sound engineers and other creative professionals were able to participate in and benefit from the event.
These practitioners contributed to the production, documentation and promotion of the event while creating income-generating opportunities for local talent.
The Municipality recognises the creative industries as an important component of modern local economic development and will continue exploring opportunities to connect local creative talent with major events hosted in the city.
CREATING SPACE FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
The event also provided opportunities for women entrepreneurs to participate in the local economy.
Newcastle Municipality recognises the importance of ensuring that major events create inclusive economic opportunities for women-owned and emerging businesses.
The participation of women in the horse-racing environment and related economic activities further demonstrates the importance of opening traditionally male-dominated sectors to women and young professionals.
PROFIT TO BE REINVESTED INTO LED
Newcastle Municipality has confirmed that the profit generated by the Municipality from the event will be reinvested into Local Economic Development initiatives.
This is an important component of the Municipality’s approach to events-led economic development.
Rather than viewing the event as a once-off economic activity, the Municipality intends to use the returns generated to support broader LED objectives and create opportunities that can benefit local businesses and communities beyond the event itself.
The approach strengthens the principle that successful events must leave an economic legacy for the city.
NEWCASTLE AS A DESTINATION FOR MAJOR EVENTS
The success of the Newcastle Horse Racing Event further strengthens Newcastle’s positioning as a destination capable of hosting major sporting, entertainment and lifestyle events.
The event provided an opportunity to showcase the city’s hospitality, infrastructure, businesses, entrepreneurs, creative talent and overall capacity to accommodate visitors.
Newcastle Municipality believes that a vibrant events calendar can play an important role in attracting visitors, stimulating spending, increasing demand for local services and strengthening the city’s destination brand.
FROM EVENTS TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The Municipality’s approach is clear: events must be more than entertainment. They must become catalysts for economic participation and development.
When visitors travel to Newcastle, they spend money on accommodation, food, fuel, transport, entertainment and other services. When event organisers procure locally, businesses receive income. When creatives are contracted, local talent earns. When informal traders participate, households benefit. And when municipal profit is reinvested into LED, the economic cycle can continue.
This is the type of events-led economic development model that Newcastle Municipality seeks to strengthen.
A COLLECTIVE EFFORT
Newcastle Municipality extends its appreciation to the event organisers, businesses, sponsors, municipal officials, service providers, media practitioners, creative professionals, accommodation establishments, traders, entertainers and members of the public who contributed to the successful hosting of the event.
The Municipality also acknowledges the visitors who travelled to Newcastle and contributed to the economic activity generated during the event period.
The Newcastle Horse Racing Event has demonstrated that strategic events can generate tangible economic value while strengthening Newcastle’s profile as a destination.
The Municipality will continue working with public- and private-sector partners to attract events that create jobs, support local businesses, stimulate tourism, promote entrepreneurship and contribute to the sustainable economic development of Newcastle.
The event attracted visitors from across the country and beyond, with attendees travelling from Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Free State and Eastern Cape, as well as from the neighbouring Kingdoms of Lesotho and Eswatini.
This is important to highlight as it demonstrates the event’s broader regional reach and its contribution to Newcastle’s tourism profile and local economy.
The Newcastle Horse Racing Event has therefore left more than memories — it has left an economic footprint.
ENDS
Issued by: Communications and Customer Relations
