• Fremantle’s winter festival boosted business around the city, despite the best efforts of Jack Frost. File
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LAST month’s Winter Garden festival had a positive impact on trade across the city, according to a report by the local business improvement district, which helped organised the event.

Ticket sales for the outdoor ice skating rink reportedly topped 40,000 and the event attracted more than 100,000 visitors to Fremantle.

Justin Bell says his Jus Burgers stall contributed to his company having its busiest-ever week in the four years it’s been trading in Fremantle.

BID chair Danielle Cattalini says hundreds of vouchers have been redeemed at businesses around the city by people who’d attended the festival.

“We believe this event has definitely increased visitation and people moving around our CBD,” Ms Cattalini said.

She praised businesses for working together.

“This concept is one of our core strategies for the Fremantle CBD, developing and expanding our street activation groups and vibrancy to Fremantle CBD.”

Fishing Boat Harbour restaurants reported increased traffic directly related to the event, and the spill of visitors apparently extended as far as Market Street, where Home Provedore’s Scott McAllister said there was a noticable increase in people browsing his wares.

Ms Cattalini says it built on a slight improvement in foot traffic through the CBD leading up to June.“There is lots of work to do to keep moving Fremantle forward but with all of the investment and revitalisation going on around the city and the fantastic will of many business owners, hopefully we can continue on a path of growth,” she said.