Geelong’s newest festival launches its inaugural event next weekend when the Strawberry and Cherry Spring Festival comes to Beckley Park.
Running from 5pm on Friday, November 17 till 4pm Sunday, November 19, the Spring Festival will feature local produce, gardening and sustainability workshops, market stalls, live music, carnival amusements and an animal farm for the kids.
Festival organisers have also partnered with motorcycle apparel company Chopped and Bobbed and Complete Health Geelong to serve as the end location of the second Men’s Mental Health Ride.
Leaving Werribee at 9.30am, around 700 motorcycles are expected to roll into Beckley Park at around 10am, setting up for a bike show section after arrival.
Festival organiser Felicity Ashman said the festival, which had been a popular annual event at Bacchus Marsh for some years, was about bringing the community together.
“The exciting thing for us is that not only have we been able to utilise Beckley Park, but around 40 per cent of our stall holders are Geelong-based, around 60 per cent of our entertainers are locals, and the carnival operator is also Geelong-based,” she said.
“What we’re trying to do is create community and create activities that are involving the communities where we work.”
Ms Ashman said although the festival was a ticketed event it would not interfere with the regular Saturday market, which the public could still access free of charge.
“We can’t really split the stallholders into two sections, that doesn’t quite work, so we will have an expanded market of around 50 to 60 stallholders,” she said.
Visit springfestival.com.au for more information.
