- Published:
- Saturday 5 October 2024
The Allan Labor Government is celebrating senior Victorians with a month-long festival during October including a day of celebration at Federation Square today.
Minister for Ageing Ingrid Stitt today attended festivities at Federation Square for Celebration Day, formally marking the start of the month-long Victorian Seniors Festival – set to run until 31 October.
The celebration saw the entire Federation Square precinct come to life with entertainment and activities including music, dance and workshops performed by mostly older artists sharing their passions and talents.
A mass ukulele performance took over Federation Square as part of the festivities with participants from across the state joining a workshop led by AJ Leonard, Australia’s uke maestro.
Overlooking the Yarra River, The Edge theatre housed performances from more than 60 dancers from the Chinese Senior Citizens Club of Manningham and the talented Australian Women’s Choir.
The Victorian Seniors Festival calendar is jam packed with events including country concerts, dances, exhibitions, film festivals and sporting activities across metro Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Over 2,000 events celebrating older Victorians will be delivered by the Labor Government, local councils, community and cultural organisations, and festival partners.
The theme of the festival this year is “Explore. Engage. Evolve” – encouraging older Victorians to maintain their curiosity and connect by exploring new activities and meeting new people, and changing how Australians think of ageing.
The Labor Government is supporting older Victorians to explore everything Seniors Festival has to offer, with eight days of free public transport for more than a million Seniors Card holders across Victoria from Sunday 6 October until Sunday 13 October.
For more information about the free public transport, which applies to all forms of public transport in metro, regional and rural Victoria, visit seniorsonline.vic.gov.au/free-travel.
To explore the range of Victorian Seniors Festival events, visit seniorsonline.vic.gov.au/festival-calendar.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Ageing Ingrid Stitt
"We are proud to deliver this festival as a month-long celebration of the valuable contributions senior Victorians make to our state."
"This year's Victorian Seniors Festival showcases the passion and creativity of seniors, and I encourage everyone to join in the fun and festivities."
"Our Victorian Seniors Festival is all about joy, connection, and celebration – and events like today, showcase just that."