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Stringybark Festival

Saturday 15 & Sunday 16 October 2016

Rowville Community Centre, 40 Fulham Rd, Rowville 3178
10am - 5pm both days

The Stringybark Sustainability Festival, held this year on October 15 & 16 focuses on ways to inform and empower the local community to make achievable changes in their daily lives that contribute to a more sustainable way of living. The festival is deeply connected to the local community, encouraging local groups, organisations and individuals to become involved and engaged around the issues presented. The Stringybark Festival is about opening the space for conversation and inquiry to drive a self-motivated journey towards societal change.

This year’s festival theme, Make – Do – Play – Connect champions the resourceful, creative and enterprising aspects of sustainability by focusing on activities that harness the ‘maker’, ‘mover’ and ‘shaker’ among us.

2016 Program

This year, we have three lives stages packed with entertainment which include:

The Market Stage (CONNECT) showcasing emerging and professional bands and artists,
The Community Stage (CONNECT) representing local schools and community performance groups, and
The Tribal & Animal Stage (PLAY, CONNECT) exploring the customs and rituals of first nations people and their connection with nature, alongside a massive interactive animal display and presentation

Other highlights include:

The Emergency Services Loop (CONNECT), run in conjunction with Council's Emergency Services team, will look at how climate change incidents are affecting our lives and what we can do in response to this - be prepared, work together, know your plan, call to action!
The Animal Dance Masquerade (MAKE, DO PLAY, CONNECT) held at 2pm on each day of the festival, is really just an excuse to dress up and party! Get your growl on, learn the kangaroo paw hop, the cockie shuffle and the bandicoot moon walk. Preen your feathers, steam your fur coz this party is ready to purrrr! Mask making workshops for this event will also be available on site throughout the day.
The Stringybark Challenge (DO, PLAY) – Think Tough Mudder but for kids! Big obstacles and bigger challenges live here. if you can crawl through it, go up it, race it, balance along it, slide around it, tumble inside it, push and pull it – don’t miss this!
Animal Presentations (PLAY, CONNECT) - Animals that growl, birds that holler and lizards that lick will be on display and in the flesh at Reptile Encounter’s native animal menagerie.
The Maker Space (MAKE, DO PLAY, CONNECT) offers up technologies and grass roots innovation that is changing the way we consume, invent and adapt to the world of technology. Here the future to come to life with large tables filled with buckets of glues, twigs, bottle tops, ceramics, cloth, straws, buttons, old machinery and much more.
Fair trade/organic/ethical market products abound (CONNECT)
Community stalls (MAKE, DO PLAY, CONNECT) and making spaces, comprising of local artisans and community led workshops, including the Knox Woodworkers, The Artist as Family, MESH and many more.

And our major installations include:

The Holding Zone - the premise of this major project is to shine the spotlight on how ‘we’ in Knox get along. The Holding Zone embarks on a community and artist led journey through the changing and shifting landscape of race and identity, as spoken by the people of Knox.
The Artist as Family (MAKE, DO PLAY, CONNECT) - delving into alternative living and lifestyles. The Artist as Family share their lifelong exploits on sustainable living and the Art of Free Travel. This family had the tenacity, courage and commitment to circumvent Australia with their family of four and dog, eating only what they could forage or hunt, for one whole year. Quite an extraordinary tale! Their 'Food Forest' is a public artwork that doubles as a community garden, a work that aims to foreground biodiversity and demonstrate that materially art can be generative, can be a resource unto itself, rather than just an extractor or exploiter of resources to make market desirable products. In other words art can be generative contiguous with ecological functioning. Food Forest is therefore a work that attempts to blur the traditional western line between art and that estranging term ‘nature’.
Put Your Rubbish to Work is a major installation that playfully prompts users to examine their relationship to the stuff we throw out...everyday! This highly theatricalised space uses interactive and hands on learning devices to skilfully explore the myriad of ways we think about, or sometimes don’t think about, our rubbish. This includes a film of the same title.
Backyard Buzz, run in conjunction with the Knox Seniors Festival, is all about the creations and inventions being assembled in the backyards of Knox. We are asking for your wacky and wonderful inventions!

Become a Stallholder

Edible Arts at Stringybark Festival 2015

Applications for the 2016 festival have now closed!

If you would like to be added to our database for future festivals, please contact the Festival and Events team on 03 9298 8269 or email culturalservices@knox.vic.gov.au.

Accessibility at the festival

Knox City Council is committed to making Council’s festivals and events accessible to all community members. Please find details below regarding accessibility at the Stringybark Festival.

The festival is located on the grounds of Rowville Community Centre, with stalls and activities situated throughout the site including inside the community centre and the indoor basketball courts, on sealed pathways, the outdoor basketball and tennis courts as well as on the grass. There are connecting paths through the site. There is a steep incline and decline located south of the playground, which may be difficult for a non-motorised mobility aid to go up or down unassisted. Limited accessible parking is available at the Rowville Community Centre car park – enter from Fulham Road. Accessible toilets are provided on site. Site maps can be downloaded here or obtained on entrance to the festival.

If you have any queries regarding accessibility at the Stringybark Festival, please call the Festival and Events team on 9298 8000 or email culturalservices@knox.vic.gov.au and we will be happy to try and assist you with any access requirements.

Cost of entry

Adult $5
Children $2.50
Concession $3
Family $12 (includes 2 adults and 2 children)

Free entry applies to:

Seniors Card holder (card to be presented upon entry) - as part of Knox Seniors Festival
Community Bus users (token must be presented upon entry)
Bike Riders (a Bike Valet Service is available at the Fulham Rd entry)

Transport Options

African performers at Stringybark Festival 2015

In the spirit of sustainability, we encourage you to leave your car at home and walk, ride your bike or jump on board our free Community Bus. For bus times, please see the Community Bus timetable.

Waste Wise

The Stringybark Festival is a Waste Wise Event and one of only three events in Victoria that reached Gold Waste Wise Accreditation in 2008, achieving more than 80 percent waste diversion from landfill. Not only will this achievement be maintained in all future years but we will continue to work towards 100 percent total diversion from landfill.

A recurring feature at our festival is the Wash Against Waste (WAW) trailer. This fully equipped trailer provided by the Sustainable Living Foundation, and generously operated by the Rowville Lions Club over the weekend, is an environmentally friendly alternative to disposable crockery and cutlery.

Volunteering at Stringybark

Each year, Stringybark Festival is supported by a large number of student and community volunteers who help us deliver this event over the weekend. Volunteering is a great way to get involved with your local community, meet new people and learn new skills.

If you would like more information about becoming a volunteer please go to our Volunteering At Knox Festivals & Events page.

Alternatively you can contact one of the friendly Festival and Events team on 03 9298 8000 or email volunteers@knox.vic.gov.au

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at Stringybark Festival?

Sponsors in 2016

Supporters in 2016

Photos from Stringybark Festival 2015

Here is a collection of photos taken at the 2015 Knox Stringybark Festival. Click a photo to view the full size photo.

File Downloads

Please note some pages will not be available on our website during the period 21 September to 22 October 2016 in accordance with our obligations under Council's Election Period Policy. More information available www.knox.vic.gov.au/elections