Experience the beauty and wonder of the Birrarung in Melbourne with over 30 events at this year’s 2024 Birrarung Riverfest.
The Birrarung Riverfest is a 3-week-long celebration of the Yarra, Birrarung River, from Sunday 1st September to World River’s Day, Sunday 22nd September, 2024. Presented by the Yarra Riverkeeper Association (YRKA), the festival aims to celebrate, raise awareness and connect our community to Country and each other, through the entire 242 kilometre length of the Birrarung.
After the success of the inaugural festival in 2023, this year’s Riverfest program boasts over 30 community-led events and activities, from platypus spotting at dusk, cultural walks and birding by ear, to canoe cleanups and sunset jazz at Ponyfish island.
“Whether you like arts and music, history and culture, or nature and storytelling, there really is something for everyone at Riverfest,” says YRKA’s President, Janet Bolitho. ”We are delighted to have over 24 organisations and hundreds of individuals helping to host events this year.”
Keystone events hosted by YRKA include a Sunday River Cruise with speakers sharing their love letters to the Birrarung, and a closing event on World Rivers Day at Federation Square, celebrating the river’s ‘Past, Present and Future’, hosted by radio personality and comedian, Sammy J.
“We are excited to have partnered with the Burndap Birrarung, burndap umarkoo (Yarra Strategic Plan) collaboration, representing Traditional Owner corporations, Wurundjeri and Bunurong, eight councils and six state agencies caring for the Birrarung as one single living entity,” Janet continues. “Regen Melbourne is also a strategic partner for Riverfest and has provided great support to the program.”
Riverfest will open on Father’s Day, September 1, with a Little Explorers event at Studley Park Boathouse. Activities for families are abundant, with plant-a-seed workshops,paint stations and The Great Yarra Colouring Class, using pigments sourced from the river corridor.
Almost every event will be free, with donations from attendees encouraged. “The donations and funding from these events will help unlock capacity and resources for Yarra Riverkeeper Association to continue their essential work caring for the River,” says Janet.
“The Birrarung catchment is responsible for 70% of our drinking water and is absolutely vital to our social and economic wellbeing,” says Carina Watson, YRKA Operations Manager.
“When you get close to the river, or you get more involved, your appreciation for how wonderful it is grows. I hope attendees come away with a renewed appreciation for how special it is to have such a beautiful, natural feature in our city, and all the life and biodiversity that it supports.”
Join this year’s Riverfest to support a healthy, protected and loved Yarra-Birrarung. Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo: What’s good for the Yarra is good for all!
Birrarung Riverfest 2024 event highlights include:
- River Bloom & Artists Talk: River Bloom is a collection of art installations consisting of 3,000 tennis balls pulled from the source and made into ‘jewellery for the river’. Artist Deb Fisher, who resides in her boathouse on the Birrarung, will suspend the necklaces from drain openings around the river to highlight water pollution.
- Melbourne River Cruise & Letters to the Birrarung: Morning tea on the Yarra Queen. Cruise around the Birrarung and hear three generations of passionate storytellers share heartfelt letters to the river.
- Nature-Fest on the Birrarung: enjoy food trucks and coffee carts, and discover the ecological significance of Westgate park through guided tours and workshops.
- Cultural Walk at the Birrarung: Join a cultural walk at Banyule Flats to learn about traditional land management practices and the importance of Wurundjeri culture.
- World Rivers Day Closing Event: Join Sammy J and a host of speakers, artists and activists, celebrating the Birrarung – Past, Present and Future – at Fed Square’s The Edge Theatre. This free, family-friendly event will mark the closing of Riverfest 2024.
The Yarra Riverkeeper Association
The Yarra Riverkeeper Association works in support of a Yarra, Birrarung that is healthy, protected and loved. Our purpose is to act as advocates, collaborators and convenors by connecting the many people and organisations who care for the river as a single living entity. Our aim for Riverfest is to celebrate the river and connect Victorian’s to the Birrarung in a profound way that will activate heads, hearts and hands in service to the river.
Contact: carolyn.tate@yarrariver.org.au