The $11.8 million community pavilion development will be officially opened with local markets on Sunday, which will also mark the launch of community input for the naming process for the building.

The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder has invited the Kalgoorlie Rotary Club to host its monthly markets to celebrate the grand opening of the new venue, situated in the carpark next to the Goldfields Arts Centre.

From 9am to noon there will be live local entertainment, market and food stalls and face painting, as well as a display from Kalgoorlie Cars and Coffee.

The pavilion is an all-weather multipurpose facility with a 2100-person capacity which will be used as a venue for various year-round events, including the annual Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum in August.

When it is not in use for events, it will operate as an open-air carpark.

Mayor Glenn Wilson said the opening marked an important milestone for the city, with the pavilion set to provide new opportunities for community events and bring greater activity into the CBD.

“This is a space designed for the community, and it’s fitting to see it come alive with the Rotary Markets for its first day of use,” he said.

“It’s the kind of place that will feel different every time you come here. Some days it will be markets, other days performances, celebrations, conferences or community events.

“With support from our funding partners, this space creates new opportunities to attract events and activity into the CBD and further strengthens Kalgoorlie-Boulder as a key destination in Western Australia for high-calibre events,” he said

The pavilion was originally given a $10.8m price tag, which included $1m from Lotterywest and $3m from BHP.

Last August the council approved an additional $1m spend on the project to ensure it was completed in time for this year’s Diggers & Dealers.

Community input into the official name for the venue was sought after Cr Vanessa Walker-Dunstan raised an alternative motion at the June council meeting making the process open to the community.

The council had previously been asked to choose between Community Events Pavilion, Multi-Purpose Community Pavilion, The GAP (Goldfields Arts Pavilion) and Goldfields Community Pavilion as an official name at that meeting.

Cr Walker-Dunstan’s successful motion will instead see a report provided to the council at the September meeting after community consultation was completed.