By REBECCA BILLS
RECENTLY titled the 2014 Cardinia Shire’s Community Event of the Year, the PAVE Festival is a time to celebrate all things Emerald.
Emerald’s week-long festival attracts about 12,000 people each year and has been running since 2004 – organised entirely by volunteers.
The event involves numerous community groups, working together with one purpose, to bring the streets of Emerald alive and build community strength through the arts.
Featuring graphic art, photography, dance, theatre, film, music, indigenous and multicultural events throughout the week, the PAVE Festival is a chance for all to have access to arts based projects and performances.
Kicking of the PAVE Festival will be the FunFEST, a Family Fun Street Party with a stack of free entertainment and activities.
FunFest will include rides, music and dance stages, a battle of the bands performance, exhibitions, demonstrations, Puffing Billy rides, street performances and stalls.
Event volunteer and organiser Non Blair said FunFEST is always a great day and it will be a wonderful way for visitors to whet their appetites for the week of activities to follow.
“Every day is jam packed with events – being school holidays there are heaps of day time activities for the kids as well as night time activities for the adult kids,” she said.
“Learn a new skill at a workshop, have some fun with shaving cream art, see an exhibition or come along to one of the evening events.”
Supporting the work of local artist, the event is a great economy raiser for the community according to Cardinia Shire Council.
Cardinia Shire Council Mayor Graeme Moore said the festival is well-deserving because it shows off the very best of the shire.
“Their involvement in our community is much appreciated and we celebrate them and the dedication they continue to show the Cardinia Shire and its residents,” he said.
The PAVE Festival is a grass roots community engagement project conceived by Emerald Community House that initiated the Performing and Visual Arts in Emerald (PAVE) project in 2003.
This project was implemented as a community development exercise to increase community capacity and synergy.
PAVE Festival will be running from 6 to 13 April with the Emerald FunFest kicking off the celebrations.
For full program of events, visit www.pave.org.au.
For more information on the events, email info@pave.org.au or call 5968 3881.
