Instead, the committee is banding together to help the town's Lion's Club and keep the festivities alive.

The festival committee has lined Commercial Road with Irish-themed treasure boxes and asked the community to fill them with unwanted shoes. Based on an honesty system, the boxes will be filled with shoes people no longer want and others can buy them for $5 with all proceeds to be donated to the Koroit Lions Club.

Lions treasurer and Irish festival committee member Blake Allen was thrilled the idea would give people something to do amid restrictions.

"Our op-shop has been closed since the start of the pandemic and that's our major way of creating funds for our projects," he said.

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"We think it's a great initiative to have in Koroit as there's not much going on in COVID. This is a way to have a bit of fun that's low maintenance.

"All donations are good, but for us, this initiative is less about raising money and more about having things going on. It's a way we can get out and have fun in the community."

The treasure boxes will be undercover and off the footpaths to protect the shoes and each box will have an information sheet with instructions on how to pay directly into a Koroit Lions Club account.

For those who can't pay with their phones shoes can still be take with payment required when the op-shop re-opens.

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Koroit Irish Festival president Adele MacDonald said the boxes and shoes project will have a number of positive outcomes.

"Obviously the pandemic has challenged us all in some way," Mrs MacDonald said.

"The Koroit Lions Club have had to shut their op shop and this is a way as a festival and as a community we can help them.

"We hope families will go for a walk and check out all the boxes and who knows, maybe find a pair of shoes they need, and all for a great cause."

Sanitizer will be available at each box with people encouraged to use it before and after handling the shoes.

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