It’s something completely foreign to city slickers, whose lives revolve around work, home and an often small group of associates.

Griffith is no different to any rural centre – everyone knows everyone, and our pride in our town means we’re far more likely to want to celebrate what’s good about living here.

I may be off the mark, because I’ve never been to a La Festa, but it sounded like one of those occasions where everyone in Griffith was keen to make an appearance.

Unfortunately, running such a huge show in modern times means blocking off the main street or hiring a venue comes with a lot of red tape.

It means a small committee is no longer capable of putting together such a large project.

Volunteers and community support is more important than ever to get these events off the ground, and it now goes far beyond just getting people through the gate.

The organising committee suggested a lack of volunteers put the writing on the wall from the outset of the 2017 preparations.

Perhaps there’s something we could all learn from this situation.

If we want a vibrant and energetic city with regular events we love, there needs to be better co-ordination between these committees and the community.

We know committees often have thankless roles when it comes to these events, so the community needs to be given the opportunity to show the support they need.

And part of running an event these days – no matter how big or small – is promotion through social media.

The cancellation of next year’s La Festa came as a shock to many, including our journos, because few knew how dire the situation was.

I’m sure an online campaign would have sparked plenty of people to speak up about how much they love La Festa, and provide a handy data base of keen contributors.

Perhaps it could have been the difference for the hard-working La Festa committee in making next year’s event a success.

Let’s hope it’s not too late to one day bring La Festa back, and perhaps in future we can have an open dialogue, so all interested parties have the best opportunity to keep them alive.