By Shelby Brooks
The Upper Beaconsfield Village Festival is back on this weekend, with a new goal of being as sustainable as possible.
Committee secretary Rosemary Hawke said the 2023 committee was trying to keep the tradition of the village festival alive and strong in the community.
“The festival is traditionally held at this time of the year as a commemoration and remembrance of Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983 and to celebrate the community spirit since this time,” Rosemary said.
The festival was originally held every March or April prior to 1983.
The town also had Community Week where those that were involved in volunteering were awarded with the Citizen of the Year award and various other activities celebrating community. After Ash Wednesday, the festival was still held around March and April for quite a while until 2001 when the whole committee resigned.
It was then a little ad hoc when it was held – it all depended on the volunteers.
Community Week started to be held around Ash Wednesday in the ‘90s and then the festival was added to Community Week in 2007.
“The festival has been in February for the last 16 years and has become a time for reflection but also celebration in the resilience of the community and rejuvenation of the village,” Rosemary said.
A special feature of this year’s event will be the Upper Beaconsfield Fire Brigade, which will present a commemorative exhibition on the 40th anniversary of the devastating Ash Wednesday bushfire in the hall.
Rosemary said one of the biggest initiatives for this year’s event was the new zero waste policy.
“We are encouraging people to ride, walk, run, skate or scoot to the festival and bring their own water and coffee cups and shopping bags,” she said.
“We have a number of environmental groups assisting with making sure we are as sustainable as possible at this festival.
“All participants will be banned from using single-use plastics.”
The Upper Beaconsfield Men’s Shed has even made sustainable recycled wooden medals and trophies to hand out on the day.
The festival will be held in the grounds around the Upper Beaconsfield Community Centre and Keith Ewenson Reserve – 10-12 Salisbury Road, Upper Beaconsfield – on Sunday 19 February 9am to 3pm.
The annual Tower Run will commence at 8am from Charing Cross opposite the post office.
