Artists of all ages, abilities and backgrounds are invited to creatively explore ways we can shape a greener future together - through ART. Come and draw, sketch or paint. Bring your supplies, pens, paints, paper, materials, whatever you need and be part of the fun.

Join WildlifeXposure at our interactive display for an unforgettable wildlife experience! Get up close with some of Australia’s most incredible creatures, including our critically endangered Brush-tailed Bettong, Squirrel Gliding Possums, and a majestic Barn Owl. You'll also meet a powerful Saltwater Crocodile, marvel at our dragon and skink lizards, and safely interact with both giant and small non-venomous pythons, turtles, and frogs! Our presenters will introduce you to unique Australian animals and the importance of wildlife conservation. It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn about Australia’s diverse wildlife and the efforts to protect them for future generations. Get your festival ticket now!

The Bendigo Share and Repair Shed is offering three ‘Upcycled Fashion’ workshops for those interested in taking part in the Bendigo Sustainability Festival’s Upcycled Fashion Parade on the 30th March. The workshops are open to anyone interested in the idea of upcycling clothes and other textiles into a new look rather than throwing them into landfill, but the focus will be on assisting people to create fashion for the parade. Bring your ideas and clothing/textiles and experienced volunteers will help you transform them. Do the workshops prior to the festival or come dressed in something upcycled and find something more upcycled clothes at the Share and Repair Shed stall at the festival. Sign up below to participate. The fashion show will be held 12noon on the Main Stage.

Come make Bendigo with Me!

Using recycled materials, collage, cardboard and a lot of glue, come and make a large-scale cardboard sculptures of Bendigo’s Iconic Buildings with me. With lots of colour, pattern and texture, together we will bring the fun to Bendigo’s streets! Create a free-standing cardboard sculpture. Decorate with collage paper. Embellish with markers and tape. Scrunch, tare, cut and glue. Create mini people. Work together to create amazing art.

Free workshop but limited places so book now! Held at Art Marquee in front of main stage.

This is an exclusive 30-minute tour at Larni Garingilang, accommodating up to 30 participants. This tour, with DUMAWUL, leaving at 11am sharp, provides a unique opportunity to explore the six beautiful layers of Dja Dja Wurrung Country and see how Djaara are reintroducing elements of country and culture to create a healthy and happy tomorrow.

A stronger class, combining strength and mobility to support a fluid flow…in body, in heart, in mind. 

Come and join me on the grass at the beautiful Gardens for the Future White Hills; after the session we can have chats and conversations 12:45-1pm.

BYO mat or towel/water. There will be some yoga chairs available for anyone wanting to try the options while seated…all offerings are adaptable to chair yoga, great for those with some mobility limitations.

This is an exclusive 30-minute tour at Larni Garingilang, accommodating up to 30 participants. This tour, with DUMAWUL, leaving at 11am sharp, provides a unique opportunity to explore the six beautiful layers of Dja Dja Wurrung Country and see how Djaara are reintroducing elements of country and culture to create a healthy and happy tomorrow.

A gentle stretching class suitable for all. An opportunity to stretch in shapes that support the release of tension and stress.

Come and join me on the grass at the beautiful Gardens for the Future White Hills; after the session we can have chats and conversations 12:45-1pm.

BYO mat or towel/water. There will be some yoga chairs available for anyone wanting to try the options while seated…all offerings are adaptable to chair yoga, great for those with some mobility limitations.

Come make Bendigo with Me!

Using recycled materials, collage, cardboard and a lot of glue, come and make a large-scale cardboard sculptures of Bendigo’s Iconic Buildings with me. With lots of colour, pattern and texture, together we will bring the fun to Bendigo’s streets! Create a free-standing cardboard sculpture. Decorate with collage paper. Embellish with markers and tape. Scrunch, tare, cut and glue. Create mini people. Work together to create amazing art.

Free workshop but limited places so book now! Held at Art Marquee in front of main stage.

Bendigo Sustainability Festival is excited to have the Old Church Wardrobe facilitate a clothing swap. Join in the fun and come and renew your wardrobe. To participate, registrations are essential. On the day, you will drop off your clothing to be swapped (no more than 10) by 11am sharp. Jess Marousche, the swap facilitator, will lead a short reflection space at 12noon as an opportunity to share what these clothes have meant to you in the past and then the swap will begin at 12:30pm. There will be changerooms set up and mirrors. Register now at this link below.

The Bendigo Share and Repair Shed is a community based organisation that started as the Bendigo RepairCafe in 2017 and has since grown to include a Tool Library, Useful Bin, Food is Free Table. It includes The Remakery, an eco-conscious boutique stocking handmade items created by local volunteers, utilising upcycled locally sourced materials. The Repair Shed will have a stall at the Festival, so pop in and get involved. Or email for more information.

The Church on the Hill runs Visible Mending Workshops. Visible mending is using the opportunity of a damaged item to give it even more beauty/story than it originally had, especially appropriate in situations where no matter how careful you are the mend is going to be obvious- so why not make it a feature! If you want to bring something or just come along to to the Church on the Hill to get ideas on how to mend clothes you’re very welcome. Visible Mending Kits will be on sale at the Bendigo Sustainability Festival. Email us for more information by clicking the link below.

Literally talks at kitchen tables, come and have a yarn with some of the country’s most inspiring speakers and thinkers: Jimmy Stanton-Cooke from Half Cut, Susan Fayad, coordinating the Victorian Goldfields World Heritage bid, Professor Kate Auty, environmental activist, and many others.

The festival will showcase some incredible electric vehicles from local owners and suppliers keen to share their insights on the value of their vehicles and how they contribute to a greener world. Come and check them out or sign up below to showcase your own EV.

There will be plenty of stallholders at this year’s festival sharing their products and services and information which can help all of us work towards a more sustainable world. If you want to have your own stall, it’s not too late - send us an email by clicking the link below.

At the festival, we will be planting a POE-TREE, launched and acknowledged by The Hon. Maree Edwards MP.

Poets are invited to submit their poems for consideration to be read at the planting. Poems must be on the broad theme of how it will take many hands to build a sustainable future. The winning poem will receive a $250 voucher for Bunnings. Up to five poems will be selected to be read on the day. Others will go in the running to be published online. Submit your poems by clicking the link below, registering for festival and then sending your poem to festival@bsg.org.au (include your name, your poem and contact number). DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS FRIDAY 14 MARCH.

Hi, I’m Jaxx and we will be making insect hotels from 100% recycled and natural materials.  An insect hotel gives native bees, wasps and beetles a safe spot to live while encouraging them into our gardens to pollinate our flowers and vegetable plants. It is a win win situation, let’s go. 

Join Bella the Bookworm on an enchanting journey through stories, songs, and hands-on activities that spark curiosity and inspire young minds to care for the planet. This interactive and fun-filled storytime introduces children to themes of sustainability, environmental stewardship, and nature appreciation.

Together, we’ll dive into captivating eco-tales about animals, trees, and the wonders of nature, wiggle and giggle to catchy Earth-friendly songs, and get our hands dirty with fun activities.

Limited places, register now.

River Detectives is just one way youth can engage with the North Central CMA. We’ll be at the festival showcasing our free, fun and flexible environmental education program with water quality testing and waterbug sampling stations and much more.

Hi, I’m Jaxx and we will be making insect hotels from 100% recycled and natural materials.  An insect hotel gives native bees, wasps and beetles a safe spot to live while encouraging them into our gardens to pollinate our flowers and vegetable plants. It is a win win situation, let’s go. 

Join ResourceSmart Schools Facilitator, Emily, to learn more about worm farms and the role they play in transitioning to a circular economy, reducing food waste and producing a useful and valuable end product. Get up close and personal with some worms, learn about the different types of worm farms, and some ways you can use ‘objects on hand’ to create your own worm farm. ResourceSmart Schools is provided as a free sustainability education program, for all Victorian schools, by Sustainability Victoria.

Join Sustainability Victoria for a dive into the world of circular economy – the theory, the case studies and the first steps to getting started on your own circular journey. This workshop with include an introduction to circular economy and how it can be applied at a household, community or business context, followed by a chance to put this theory into practice. Participants will be guided through applying a circular approach to an initiative of their own and introduced to some of Sustainability Victoria’s resources to help them take their ideas to the next step.

In an emergency, what is your plan? Talk with City staff to learn more about local emergency risks and the simple and practical steps you can take to protect yourself, the people you love and the things you value the most. Grab an emergency ‘go bag’ and some resources that will help you prepare for an emergency. Come visit the City of Greater Bendigo Stall!

Learn about Bendigo’s native plants and animals with the City’s Biodiversity Officers. Come along to see the interactive displays of bugs, birds, frogs and nocturnal creatures and discover the many ways to look after our natural environment. Come visit the City of Greater Bendigo Stall!

Come and see the Climate Action Team at the Sustainability Festival to discuss home energy efficiency. Find out information on how to make your home more energy efficient to suit any budget, different home energy finance options that are available, and resources to provide you with more information. Also find out more about our new Home Energy Empowerment Program and the Beat the Power Bills Business Program. Come visit the City of Greater Bendigo stall.

Cadence is a musical duo from Bendigo comprising of cousins Tahlia on vocals and George on bass guitar.

Singer/songwriter and guitarist Kalo Davis quotes artists and bands such as Ed Sheeran, Lizzy McAlpine, Trousdale, Tiny Habits, Lawrence, and Lake Street Dive as being influential to his sound. “For as long as I can remember I’ve always loved to sing, but it took me ages to become confident singing in front of people, let alone a crowd! I embraced the nerves. I asked questions, reached out to people, and amazing opportunities started coming up. I lost my fear to just give it a go.”

Hailing from small town Heathcote and a darling of the thriving Bendigo music scene, Folk artist Mariah McCarthy is one of Central Victoria’s most prized possessions. With delicately woven songs rich in storytelling, The Mariah McCarthy Trio captivates its audiences through honest and affecting tales that hang around in your head long after listening.

Sherri Parry, born and bred in regional Victoria, has been writing, releasing and performing in Central VIC since 2013. She opened for Australian music royalty John Butler in 2019 at the Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival at Ulumburra Theatre, three months before releasing her full-length album 'Leave The Flowers' in February 2020. Swiflty becoming the next big thing, Sherri joins us on the main stage at the Bendigo Sustainability Festival to share a message of hope for a better world.

Harry and Molly are WA born and breed and have grown up surrounded by music. Harry is a self taught guitarist from the age of 10 with Molly always singing her heart out right by his side. This brother sister duo have been performing in and around Bendigo and surrounds for the last 3 years, with their main genre being country music but not limited to. 

Ryan McPartlane is a 16 year old singer/songwriter from Bendigo, lead singer of the band The Funkle. Definitely on the rise. Look out for them.