Fed Square will become a hub for sustainable living this spring, with the fourth annual RESET festival bringing planting, repairing, repurposing, art and community events to the city from September.
Proudly supported by Bupa, RESET will bring together artists, environmental advocates, community organisations and families for a program focused on practical ways to live more sustainably.
“RESET celebrates creative sustainability,” said Melbourne Arts Precinct Director & CEO Katrina Sedgwick. “Our festival brings people together to make positive change and leave a light touch on our planet—be it through planting, repairing, reading, or making—living more sustainably is creative, achievable and genuinely enjoyable.”
Get your hands dirty at Planting Party
RESET kicks off its major program with Planting Party on Saturday, 5th September, presented with Creative Climate. The free, family-friendly event will take over Fed Square’s Skyline Car Park and Test Garden with talks, workshops, art, food, a plant market and live music.
Visitors can try propagation, weaving, botanical drawing and habitat building, while talks will explore Caring for Country, language, regenerative design and the Birrarung as a living entity. Grassroots environmental groups from across Victoria will also be on hand.
Planting Party will cap a month-long community planting effort, with hundreds of volunteers planting thousands of native plants across 13 sites throughout Victoria during August.
“This year’s program brings an extraordinary range of community organisations, artists and environmental advocates into the heart of the city and extends beyond Fed Square through planting activities taking place across Victoria,” Sedgwick said.
From zero waste to a daytime book rave
The festival continues on Saturday, 12th September, with the Zero Waste Festival, presented with Zero Waste Victoria. The day will feature repair and mending activities, including small electronics, clothes, books and fabric swaps, sustainable cooking, market stalls and creative activities for children.
The inaugural ReWear Runway will finish the day by showcasing garments transformed through reclaiming, repairing, reusing and repurposing materials.
Garden favourite Costa Georgiadis will also appear to celebrate the Melbourne launch of his new book, Costa’s Garden: Fruit, with stories, laughter and plenty of gardening inspiration.
The following day, Sunday, 13th September, Book Doof will turn reading into a daytime rave, combining vinyl DJ sets, free tea/coffee and a community book exchange.
Visitors can read, journal, sketch or simply spend time in the company of other people without the pressure of conversation.
Repair, swap and make something new
RESET will introduce two new creative workshops later in September. On Saturday, 19 September, Junk Journaling, led by hey.raco and Akres, will encourage participants to step away from their screens and make layered journals from scraps and repurposed materials.
The following day, Remake & Repair will offer two sessions covering practical sewing, mending and upcycling techniques, with participants invited to bring their own clothing to repair and repurpose.
Families can also join The Big Toy Swap on Wednesday, 23rd September. Presented with Zero Waste Victoria, the event will give clean, gently used toys, books and games a second life while helping families refresh their toy boxes without buying new.
Catch an afternoon flick with the family
School holidays will bring a special return for Melbourne theatre company Polyglot Theatre, which will mark 15 years since Paper Planet was first commissioned and premiered at Fed Square.
From 28th September to 2nd October, families can enter a forest of towering cardboard trees at The Edge and use paper, tape and their imaginations to create creatures, costumes, stories and environments.
The universally accessible, child-led experience has travelled internationally since its 2011 premiere. Supported by the City of Melbourne, this special RESET presentation brings Paper Planet back to the place where it began.
Families can also take part in a precinct-wide nature discovery activity and catch free afternoon films on the Big Screen. The Outdoor Cinema program will screen nature adventure classics including Flipper on 30th September, Free Willy on 1st October and Fly Away Home on 2nd October.
Cleaning up the Birrarung
RESET will turn its attention to Melbourne’s waterways on World Cleanup Day, Friday, 18th September. The Yarra Riverkeeper Association will lead a hands-on community clean-up along the Birrarung and surrounding public spaces, followed by opportunities to meet river advocates and learn about supporting healthier cities and waterways. A free sausage sizzle will round out the day.
The festival will conclude on Saturday, 17th October with Confluence 2026: Community Waterways Forum, presented with the Yarra Riverkeeper Association as part of RESET and Birrarung Riverfest.
From 10am to 3pm, community advocates, volunteers, researchers, Traditional Owners and waterway champions will gather to share knowledge, explore practical solutions and consider the future of Melbourne’s rivers, creeks and wetlands.
Bupa Director Social Impact and Sustainability Bronwyn Portes said RESET showed how organisations could encourage sustainable action while connecting environmental and personal wellbeing.
“RESET is a powerful example of how Bupa and Fed Square are working together to inspire meaningful sustainable action for people of all ages while demonstrating that healthier people and a healthier planet go hand in hand.”
RESET runs across Fed Square and other locations in Victoria throughout spring, with events spanning September and October.
