More than 10,000 people are expected in Deloraine this weekend for the 45th Tasmanian Craft Fair, which runs from today, Friday, October 30, until Sunday, Pulse Tasmania reported. Organisers expect visitor numbers to more than triple the town’s population.

The fair will open for the last time in its current format. The Rotary Club of Deloraine, which runs the event, announced earlier this month that it would not hold the fair in its current format in 2027.

Fair director Stephanie Johnston said at the time that staging the fair each year required a significant commitment from club members.

“While Rotarians have worked tirelessly to deliver the fair each year, the extensive effort required has become increasingly difficult due to an aging membership base and a shrinking pool of volunteers,” she said.

After this year’s event, the club will take time to reflect on the fair’s “legacy” and explore a new identity and vision for it. Ms Johnston said this year’s fair would be “bittersweet”.

“For more than four decades, our Rotarians and volunteers have poured their hearts into this event and it has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for community projects here and overseas,” she said.

“So this is the year to come along, enjoy everything Deloraine has to offer and help us give the event the send off it deserves.”

There will be 238 stallholders, including 195 craft exhibitors and 43 food and beverage exhibitors, with live demonstrations, music and local food and drink spread across the town’s venues and galleries. More than 10,000 visitors came through the gates last year, and Ms Johnston said organisers expected even more this weekend.

“There’s a real buzz around Deloraine as our stallholders set up and everything is pointing to one of the biggest crowds we’ve ever had,” she said.

This year’s feature exhibit is a full-size replica of the 1841 Rajah Quilt, made by Tasmanians Anne and Rob Thompson. Past winners of the Premier’s Art Award will be auctioned, and the program also includes sheep dog trials on Saturday and Sunday, daily pottery demonstrations, children’s activities and live music.

Gates open at 9am and close at 4pm, with tickets available online and at the gates.

Correction, 3 November 2026: An earlier version of this story was cut off after its first sentence and was filed under Weather & Marine. It has been completed from our source and moved to Community. An illustration of the Mersey River mouth, which is not Deloraine, has been removed.