Published on Tuesday, 7 December 2021 at 3:26:25 PM
It was two years in the making, and anticipation was at fever pitch, but East Fremantle’s George Street Festival did not disappoint – it was a huge hit with locals, delivering a Summery, music-filled street party that set new records in sustainability.
The hiatus in 2020 due to COVID-19 did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm and excitement of locals and visitors for a day of live, loud and local fun enjoyed by more than 10,000 people, with the Town delivering both a fun day out and a low-waste festival.
Here’s how the Town delivered on its sustainability promise:
- By partnering with Go2Cup the Town drastically cut packing any unnecessary single-use plastics with over 20,000 reusable items provided to all food and beverage vendors on the day.
- Over the seven hours of the entire event only 146kg of waste was produced.
- 62kg of FOGO waste was captured, with a tiny contamination rate of only 0.03%.
- Beverage containers were processed at the Containers for Change facility at the City of Fremantle with funds donated to the bin monitors – local community sports club Hurricanes Paddling Group.
Members from the Climate Action Reference Group were out in force with information on the Town’s actions on climate change as well as assisting APACE nursery with its native plant giveaway.
Rickee from Aboriginal Productions spent the day educating the youth on the importance of Aboriginal Culture with fun activities and games.
It was great to see the number of people that walked, cycled, or got the bus to the festival making us
e of the additional bike racks on the day.
Car enthusiasts weren’t disappointed with three electric vehicles showcasing green technology for the future.
Mayor O’Neill was brimming with enthusiasm after the event, and he explained that the sustainability focus was applied to every aspect of the Festival.
“We applied sustainability across the board,” he said, “from how we planned and promoted the Festival to the choice of vendors, packaging and waste management so that we could demonstrate that it is possible (and fun) to have an event of this scale without a nasty environmental hangover.”
Mayor O’Neill paid tribute to the organisers, led by the Town of East Fremantle’s Community Engagement Officer, Carly, who was supported by the entire Town team in bringing off the event without a hitch.
He said this was in keeping with the Town’s reaffirmed Strategic Vision, for “sustainable community and lifestyle”, with the environmental aspects of the event guided by the Town’s Waste and Sustainability Officer, Connor.
For the first time, the event featured a live outside broadcast on community radio, hosted by event partners RTRFM, whose Giant Steps show was beamed live from George Street throughout East Freo to Perth and via digital radio to the whole world.
A new emphasis this year was also placed on the Town’s young people, with a youth stage featuring talented young performers throughout the day, as well as a special Youth Zone delivered in partnership with the Fremantle Youth Network, including a mural featuring reflections on the meaning of the word “Community.”
Bigger, better and louder than ever this year was the live music component of the show, with talented musicians performing across three stages throughout the day, culminating on the main stage with indie rock legends End of Fashion to bring the day’s celebration to a close.
The Town Tent saw all of East Fremantle’s elected members on site, happily chatting to community members and answering their questions.
Vendors all reported strong sales and happy vibes throughout the day, and local George Street businesses were delighted in the up-tick of business that was generated by maximising their participation and by ensuring the choice of vendors was not in competition with local business.
The only challenge for the Town now is to decide how it will top this year’s event with one in 2022, which happens to be the Town’s 125th anniversary.
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