New festival comes to Southbank offering a “bit of everything”

A series of new festivals celebrating sustainability and multiculturalism are coming to the Boyd Community Hub, starting on May 19.

The first event will feature stalls of recycled and upcycled items, and homemade art and craft goods, as well as live music, cultural dance groups, food vendors, music, table tennis, children’s activities and more.

It follows the success of the Re-Love Festival held at the Boyd Community Hub last October as part of the Garage Sale Trail initiative where stalls of pre-loved treasures delighted bargain hunters and brought the community together.

The launch of the new festival, which will consist of three events to held during the year, is being organised by the newly formed Active Southbank Community Association group (ASCA), which has a membership of 12 Southbank residents, all of whom are keen to promote sustainability.

“ASCA group has been talking about how to bring a ‘suitcase sale’, ‘multicultural diversity’ and ‘sustainability’ into Southbank since December 2023,” ASCA’s president Sophy Galbally said.

The new festival will be called the Festival at Boyd (FAB), which Ms Galbally said would be taken “to the next level”.

A further two festivals are planned for August 18 and November 17.

“High-rise living can sometimes feel isolating due to the sheer number of people in close proximity,” Ms Galbally said.

Festival At Boyd will offer opportunities for connections and building relationships and foster a sense of belonging. It will bring people together from diverse backgrounds with a sense of unity and solidarity.

She added a quarterly event would ensure residents could book a stall, and “make some cash, donate their second-hand goods for another round and stop it going to landfill”.

“We wish to celebrate the diversity of our suburb, while also promoting a circular economy by advocating sustainable practices of recycling, reusing and repair,” she said.

“By participating in community events residents and businesses can be more engaged with local issues and initiatives and sharing ideas on projects that benefit the neighbourhood and enhance the overall well-being of Southbank residents.”

ASCA represents 10 nationalities and a diverse range of genders, ages, and abilities. The group is funded by the City of Melbourne, which provided a community inclusion grant of $19,960 in December.

The group aims to embrace diversity while strengthening the community fabric and promoting inclusivity and mutual respect among members. •

Caption: The Re-Love festival last year has inspired the launch of a new Festival at Boyd event.