Third year of eco festival features platypus spotting, sunset paddles and art walks.
Birrarung Riverfest returns this September school holidays with over 60 events across 23 days.
The festival stretches along the entire Yarra, Birrarung River and has grown into one of Melbourne’s major cultural and environmental events in just three years. Birrarung Riverfest inspires connection to Country, action for the river, and collaboration across communities.
Birrarung Riverfest kicks off 6 September and closes on World Rivers Day, 28 September, hosting events from platypus spotting and sunset paddles to gig nights and art-led sensory walks. The festival program includes a variety of family-friendly activities designed to connect Victorians with the river.
Birrarung Riverfest
- Festival dates: 6-28 September
- Over 60 events across 23 days
- Locations along the entire Yarra, Birrarung River
- World Rivers Day finale: Federation Square – 28 September
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Growing community participation
The festival is presented by the Yarra Riverkeeper Association, a major community voice for the Yarra, Birrarung for the past 20 years. Now in its third year, Birrarung Riverfest has doubled in scale and tripled in attendance since its inception.
In 2025, the organisation has convened over 200 event hosts and volunteers across diverse sectors and expects more than 2,000 participants. By supporting education and stewardship along the river, Birrarung Riverfest helps create a more liveable, climate-ready city.
Events include numerous Wurundjeri led activities centring First Nations knowledge and culture around the Birrarung, including Bushfood and Bush medicine workshops in Abbotsford. A sensory sunrise walk over the Birrarung will be led by artist Kate Gorringe-Smith at Dights Falls.
The festival features habitat planting for Victoria’s critically endangered Helmeted Honeyeater and the Lowland Leadbeater’s Possum at Yellingbo Nature Conservation Area. A morning gathering at the Liwik Barring Landscape Conservation Area includes morning tea and guided walks to learn about history, native revegetation, biodiversity and land management.
The World Rivers Day finale represents a major community celebration at Federation Square, featuring a flotilla of boats along the river alongside music, art, ceremony and culture. This year’s festival aims to raise awareness of stormwater pollution and its threat to river health.
For more information, head here.
