This spring, Fed Square invites visitors to take a breath and press RESET. Returning from 1 September to 6 October 2025, RESET is Fed Square’s free, family-friendly festival that brings together sustainability, creativity, and community connection in a month-long program of interactive events, workshops, art installations and immersive experiences. Proudly supported by Bupa, RESET festival creates the opportunity to slow down, have fun with family, reconnect with nature, and discover new ways to live more lightly on the planet together.
From muddy play and eco-discos to talks, clean-ups, outdoor cinema, textile mending and seed propagation, RESET offers something for everyone. Whether you’re five or ninety-five, climate curious or creatively inclined, spring is the perfect time to RESET with a renewed commitment to everyday sustainable action.
Melbourne Arts Precinct Director & CEO Katrina Sedgwick said, “Spring is the perfect time to take a breath, rethink and discover sustainable techniques to reduce waste, connect with nature and embrace greener living – all through RESET’s fun, family-friendly events, workshops, films and talks. Get your hands dirty, be present and empower the next generation to care for our planet.”
Bupa APAC Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer, Roger Sharp said “Bupa is proud to partner with Fed Square on sustainability-focused programs such as RESET which highlight the essential connection between the health of people and the health of our planet, while reinforcing that everyone has a part to play.”
On the first Sunday of the festival (7 September), RESET will host a new event – Planting Party – a day of community action and celebration held in partnership with Creative Climate. The event includes morning tree planting at nine offsite locations across Melbourne facilitated by Landcare Victoria, followed by an afternoon gathering at Fed Square featuring a Wurundjeri Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony, live music by The Orbweavers, gardening talks, seed propagation workshops and music-for-plants performances by Earworthy DJs.
As part of the festival, Fed Square will unveil a major new textile installation by celebrated artist Sangeeta Sandrasegar, presented in partnership with the Australian Tapestry Workshop. Suspended from the ceiling in the open space of the Atrium, I ragazzi dei millefiori: the flow’rs of song and story comprises panels of silk organza and cotton, dyed various hues using natural plant dyes. Botanical illustrations and archival imagery are delicately embedded in the fabric – referencing the Millefiori Tapestry of Pistoia and early 1900s Italian flower sellers on Princes Bridge. Weaving together themes of migration, cultural identity and the deep histories of colour, craft and place, the artwork invites audiences to reflect on the ways plants and flowers carry stories of belonging, transformation and heritage. The work will be accompanied by public programs including artist talks and natural dye workshops led by master dyer Heather Thomas.
Families can look forward to a host of engaging events which embrace simple sustainable habits including the much-loved Big Toy Swap (2 October), where children can exchange their gently loved toys, books and games for something new-to-them while learning about reuse and circularity; Earth Children (20–23 September), a hands-on sculptural workshop for younger children led by artist Serene Lau that invites participants to build an evolving cob metropolis using squishy, sustainable earth-based materials and Mini Beast Disco (30 September – 2 October), a rainbow-friendly eco-disco led by underground performance icons Betty Grumble and Dandrogyny, celebrating bugs, biodiversity and togetherness through performance and play.
Fed Square’s Outdoor Cinema also returns for spring, presenting a free four-day screening series that pairs family favourites with environmental themes. Audiences can settle in for an afternoon of eco-conscious storytelling with Future Council (30 Sep), a documentary following eight young Australians exploring climate solutions; FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1 Oct), a 1992 animated classic about deforestation and magic; Flow (2 Oct), a haunting and dialogue-free tale of survival in a flooded world; and Shrek (3 Oct), reminding us – albeit obliquely – that love, acceptance and community matter in the face of difference. All films screen daily at 3pm on the Fed Square Big Screen.
Opening on the first day of the festival is Nocturnal Worlds, a sound installation produced by Audiocraft in collaboration with the Australian Museum. From 1 – 10 September, Fed Square’s Atrium will transform into an immersive sonic environment where visitors can drift through the haunting sounds of Australia’s elusive nocturnal creatures including Powerful Owls, Green Sea Turtles, Long-Finned Eels and more, while relaxing in a chill-out space that invites deep listening and quiet reflection.
On Saturday 6 September, a favourite Fed Square event returns – the Zero Waste Festival presented by Zero Waste Victoria. From repair cafés and clothes swaps to craft workshops, panel talks, a pop-up recycling centre and sustainable food trucks, the festival brings together leading voices and everyday heroes in waste reduction to share practical solutions and spark collective action. All stalls operate under a Create No Waste policy, and the festival will be powered by a closed-loop system thanks to Green My Plate.
For those looking to lend a hand when it comes to sustainability, RESET is running two community days of action and connection. First up, World Clean Up Day takes place on Friday 19 September presented in partnership with Clean Up Australia and Bupa. Meet at Birrarung Marr Walk to help clean up the riverbank, then enjoy free tea, coffee and a classic sausage sizzle to celebrate your efforts. For World Rivers Day on Sunday 28 September, be welcomed by the stirring sounds of the Climate Choir and a powerful performance by Djirri Djirri, the Wurundjeri women’s dance group. Then settle in at The Edge for an afternoon of storytelling, music and conversation, presented by the Yarra Riverkeeper Association as part of Birrarung Riverfest.
Curious about bees? Don’t miss the Rooftop Beehive Tours (Saturday 4 October), guided by the experts at Rooftop Bees. See Fed Square’s rooftop hives up close and learn how these incredible pollinators support local ecosystems. Tours are limited to 20 people, so bookings are essential.
On Saturday 4 October, green thumbs and creatives alike are invited to the open day in the Test Garden, planted next to the Skyline Car Park at Fed Square. The Test Garden demonstrates the naturalistic planting style of Laak Boorndap – the urban garden at the centre of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation. The morning features a talk with urban greening experts, Associate Professor Claire Farrell (University of Melbourne Burnley Campus) and Landscape Architect Jon Hazelwood (Hassell), followed by a hands-on natural dyeing workshop with artist Heather Thomas. Explore the role of plants and public spaces in shaping our sustainable future.
Finally, circular fashion lovers can join Embroidery and Mending Workshops in The Atrium on Sunday 14 September. These drop-in sessions offer practical, decorative ways to refresh your wardrobe using traditional techniques and a little imagination.
For more information visit fedsquare.com
To keep up with the latest news from Fed Square, subscribe at fedsquare.com/subscribe
INDEPENDENT NEWS IS IMPORTANT.
PLEASE GIVE WHAT YOU CAN: PayPal.Me/clevergreensolutions
Enjoy reading Eco Voice? Please help us by purchasing a GIFT Voucher or send one to a friend and encourage people to purchase trees or seeds via The Native Shop – www.nativeshop.com.au
Plants, seeds & more delivered to your door!
