Candelo Go helps Candelo Village Festival lead by example in reducing waste

Growing numbers of Far South Coast festivals and community events are working towards reducing their waste to zero.

In 2023 Candelo Village Festival used crockery and cutlery that could be washed and reused, and a local farmer turned the food scraps into compost.

Not-for-profit Candelo Go is broadening that concept this year by teaching festivalgoers to make their own compost from the festival’s waste.

It is one of six waste reduction workshops that Candelo Go will run at the 10th Candelo Village Festival on Saturday 29 March.

Candelo Go started in 2018 with a commitment to sharing resources. It is best known for its car sharing project, Little Miles.

It has shared finance management software, and shares knowledge and information through workshops.

Candelo Go member Nikki Wagner has worked waste minimisation into the group’s activities because it works well with the concept of sharing resources.

The workshops are dual purpose, showing people how to do things, and also how to do things as a group. That has the added benefit of cultivating community.

“Generally, when you share out the work and spread out the cost of the equipment, you are more successful,” Ms Wagner said.

One of the workshops at Candelo Village Festival will teach people how to get started in making preserves.

Organisers of the Fungi Feastival will show people how to grow mushrooms using waste products, such as used coffee grinds from the Candelo Cafe, while permaculturist Robyn Rosenfeldt from Pip magazine, will teach people how to make hot compost from the festival’s waste.

“We want to be an example and teach people how to look at waste differently,” Ms Wagner said.

Textile waste is a huge problem around the world, so one workshop is about extending the life of textiles. That could be by repairing them, dyeing them to hide stains, or using them to make rugs and baskets.

One workshop is about making personal care products from organic natural ingredients, and another will teach people to make home cleaning products with guidance on what ingredients to use and which ones to avoid.

Every two years, the Candelo Arts Society puts on the festival, which is a day to remember. This year’s program has 39 free events.

It celebrates community, creativity, and connection, offering live music, art, parties, gatherings, and an eclectic range of workshops, plus delectable local food.

This year it will feature a special ticketed opening concert featuring four songsmiths who had their beginnings in the beautiful Bega Valley: Daniel Champagne, Felicity Dowd, Isabel Rumble, and Kim Churchill.

The concert at 7:30 pm on Friday 28 March, in Candelo Town Hall, will see them on stage together sharing stories and songs of home and where their music has taken them. Food and beverages will be available for purchase prior to showtime.

The following day William Street and the park will be exuding creative energy.

Singer-songwriter Ron ‘Callo’ Callaghan from the Yuin Nation on the South Coast is known for his powerful onstage presence. He draws listeners in through personal storytelling woven seamlessly into his distinctive blend of blues, rock and country. He will be accompanied by some of the coast’s finest musicians including Dave Tweedie and Mick McGrath.

Queen Porter Stomp brings together horns, a rhythm section, a banjo, and ukulele that create dirty swamp magic.

Fancy hitting the mic yourself? Singers, dancers, even stand-up comedians, are invited to put their name on the blackboard for Music and Variety, the festival’s open mic session.

The Alive and Connected Play Space promises an array of entertainment and activities. Think giant Scrabble, dress-ups, and circus play.

Candelo’s Rae Kennedy has gathered a stellar group of guest professional artists to create Unordinary Avenue. The series of art-making projects and spaces includes pottery, screen printing, and pop-up poetry. The chalk magic space is not to be missed.

The Generator will see experimental performers and electronic artists transform the Candelo Town Hall into a world of light and sound. Festivalgoers can simply watch the performances of Bega Valley’s best or immerse themselves through interacting with the projections and weird and wonderful sound generator.

The festival kicks off at 10 am and runs until late.

Candelo Village Festival is a free event on Saturday, while tickets for the Home concert on Friday cost $50.

The festival is supported by Create NSW, South East Arts, and Bega Valley Shire Council. A grant from council’s waste minimisation program made Candelo Go’s six workshops possible.