A talent show, live music, stalls, a carnival and street parade will be part of Sunbury’s 40th annual SunFest this weekend.
The free, three-day festival, which began life in the wake of the Sunbury rock festivals of the 1970s, has gone from something planned around kitchen tables and centred on small community halls to one of the nation’s biggest volunteer-run festivals.
More than 30,000 people attended last year.
Returning to the top job after the committee lost several long-serving members last year, president Maureen Kear says highlights of this year’s program will include a festival launch and talent shows on Friday night, a SunFest Under the Stars concert and fireworks on Saturday, and a health expo, walk and fun run, and displays on Sunday.
‘‘It was a very different festival in those days,’’ Ms Kear said of the event’s humble beginnings.
‘‘I started off putting on films for the little ones, blacking out all the windows in the memorial hall. We used to have people racing from one old hall to another for round-robin basketball and then netball came later.’’
Ms Kear says the first street parade, held in about 1980, was organised with the help of the handful of schools in the area.
This year’s parade – on Evans, Harker and O’Shanassy streets – will feature many dozens of participants including local emergency services, schools, kinders and community groups. Sunbury’s Henry twins, fresh from their performances on Australia’s Got Talent, and many of SunFest’s past presidents will also be part of the procession.
Ms Kear said that while Sunbury continued to change at a rapid rate, SunFest provided a valuable link to the town’s past.
‘‘It’s such a great way to celebrate our community.’’
Details: www.sunfest.org.au
