Fed Square’s RESET festival will return this spring with a program of free events focused on sustainable living, creative participation and community action across Melbourne and parts of regional Victoria.
The fourth annual festival, supported by Bupa, will run from September to October and bring together artists, environmental organisations, community groups and families for workshops, talks, repair activities, planting projects and school holiday events.
Melbourne Arts Precinct Director and CEO Katrina Sedgwick said the festival was designed to encourage practical ways for people to engage with sustainability.
“RESET celebrates creative sustainability. Our festival brings people together to make positive change and leave a light touch on our planet, whether through planting, repairing, reading or making. Living more sustainably is creative, achievable and genuinely enjoyable,” she said.
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One of the major events is Planting Party on Saturday 5 September, presented with Creative Climate. The event will transform parts of Fed Square into a space for gardening workshops, weaving, botanical drawing, habitat building, live music and discussions about Caring for Country, regenerative design and the Birrarung.
The event follows a month-long planting campaign across 13 locations in Victoria during August, where volunteers will help plant thousands of native plants. The planting activities are supported by Bupa, Melbourne Water and the Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo collaboration.
The Zero Waste Festival will be held on Saturday 12 September in partnership with Zero Waste Victoria. The program includes repair and mending sessions, clothing and book swaps, sustainable cooking demonstrations, market stalls and activities for children.
The festival will also feature the inaugural ReWear Runway, showcasing garments that have been repaired, reused or repurposed. Gardening presenter Costa Georgiadis is scheduled to appear at the event as part of the Melbourne launch of his new book Costa’s Garden: Fruit.
A new event called Book Doof will take place on Sunday 13 September, offering a quieter social experience centred on reading, journalling and creative activities accompanied by vinyl DJ sets.
Creative workshops later in the month include Junk Journaling and Remake & Repair, where participants can learn sewing, mending and upcycling techniques using repurposed materials.
School holiday programming will run from 19 September to 4 October. The Big Toy Swap, presented with Zero Waste Victoria, will return on 23 September, encouraging families to exchange books, games and toys.
Polyglot Theatre’s Paper Planet will return to Fed Square from 28 September to 2 October, marking 15 years since the interactive children’s work premiered at the venue. Families will be invited to build imaginative environments using cardboard and recycled paper materials.
Outdoor screenings of nature-themed films, including Flipper, Free Willy and Fly Away Home, are also planned during the school holidays.
RESET will include a community clean-up event on World Cleanup Day on 18 September, led by the Yarra Riverkeeper Association along the Birrarung and surrounding public spaces.
The festival will conclude on 17 October with Confluence 2026: Community Waterways Forum, presented with the Yarra Riverkeeper Association as part of RESET and Birrarung Riverfest, bringing together community advocates, researchers, volunteers and Traditional Owners to discuss the future of Melbourne’s waterways.
Bupa Director of Social Impact and Sustainability Bronwyn Portes said the festival aimed to encourage practical environmental action across different age groups.
Fed Square organisers said the program combines hands-on activities with cultural and community events, giving visitors opportunities to learn practical skills while taking part in local environmental initiatives.
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