Celebrate the longest night of the year in Geelong West with the return of the Winter Solstice event this Saturday.
Free kids activities, live music, market stalls, fire twirling, delicious food and drinks and a lantern parade will take over West Park from 5pm to 8pm on June 21.
Organiser Mia Devani said the event was inclusive and wholesome, designed to bring people together in the middle of winter with a family and community-focused theme.
“People can often feel isolated in their own little worlds, so it’s important to try to create a space where people can connect while doing things and having experiences together,” she said.
“It’s also about building a place where it’s inclusive and allows anyone to come along and have a play… We always have a quiet space so people with sensory needs have somewhere to go.”
Ms Devani said she had a lot of connection to the event as she attended it as a fire twirler before becoming the organiser and looked forward to seeing people enjoying the night.
“I just love the beautiful connection between everyone and watching people connecting with each other,” she said.
“It’s always my hope that those relationships that people might build through doing things together will expand into having those relationships outside of that event.”
According to National Geographic, the winter solstice marks the exact moment when half of Earth is tilted the farthest away from the sun, leading to the shortest day and longest night of the year.
