Living Smart Festival locked in for September

Published on 08 June 2022

Gardening guru Costa Georgiadis and a new event dedicated to international flavours and cultures are among the highlights of the long-awaited latest instalment of Lake Mac’s Living Smart Festival.

This year’s event, scheduled for 23-25 September at Speers Point Park, marks a welcome return for the festival, which had to be cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lake Macquarie Mayor Kay Fraser said the city’s tentpole annual event was a reflection of the local community’s commitment to sustainable living.

“Living Smart Festival wouldn’t exist without the passion of everyday families in Lake Mac and beyond to learn more, and do more, about living more sustainably and making a difference,” she said.

Gardening Australia host Georgiadis has signed on to headline this year’s festival after a hugely popular appearance at the 2019 instalment.

“I think the most striking aspect of the event was how inclusive it was across generations,” he said.

“There were people of all ages really engaged and connected with all the activities that were going on. There was such a positive and productive atmosphere – I was vacuumed into it and the day just vaporised so quickly.”

The festival weekend will include the popular Friday night Feast for the Senses dinner under the stars, featuring locally and sustainably sourced produce.

Manager Arts, Culture and Tourism Jacqui Hemsley said new to this year’s line-up was a free Sunday ‘Living Together Festival’, celebrating multiculturalism in our community.

“We’ll be featuring workshops, demonstrations, market stalls, world music, international cooking classes, global gardens and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and language sessions,” she said.

Applications have opened for stallholders for the Saturday and Sunday events.

This year’s Living Smart Festival is proudly supported by major event partner Hunter Resource Recovery, as well as Hunter Water, Allambi Care, Greater Bank and the University of Newcastle.

Go to livingsmartfestival.com.au for more information and to keep track of all the latest Living Smart Festival news and updates.