Case Studies
Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival
Design Feature
Type of Project
Festival
State
Northern Territory
Location
Regional
The annual Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival runs along one-and-a-half-kilometres of the Nightcliff foreshore by the Timor Sea in Darwin. The festival celebrates the talents and skills of the vibrant, inclusive and diverse local community through a celebration of arts, culture, performance, food and the environment. A family event, the festival is an avenue for local and remote Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, children, young people, teachers, parents, emerging and professional artists and performers to converge in a community celebration.
Celebrating vibrance, inclusivity and diversity
The Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival is committed to providing a creative, active, fun and inclusive space for the engagement of people of all ages in a safe environment. The festival emphasises the importance of children and young people feeling connected to a community that supports them, and offers a broad range of activities, across many art forms. For example, activities that encourage creativity and ‘hands on’ involvement include a sand sculpture competition, Bendigo Bank Community Art Prize, a public art space, and Free Recreation and Entertainment for Everyone in the Parks (FREEPS) at the Nightcliff Pool (hosted by the City of Darwin).
Importantly, the festival provides a snapshot of the community organisations, including sporting clubs, political and environmental groups and not-for-profit organisations in Darwin and the issues and activities that the locals champion. In 2017, the Northern Territory Field Naturalists’ Club ran free environmental guided walks, providing local stories and history of the Nightcliff foreshore area to generate a sense of place by reinforcing the community’s connection to the area.
Importantly, the festival provides a snapshot of the community organisations, including sporting clubs, political and environmental groups and not-for-profit organisations in Darwin and the issues and activities that the locals champion. In 2017, the Northern Territory Field Naturalists’ Club ran free environmental guided walks, providing local stories and history of the Nightcliff foreshore area to generate a sense of place by reinforcing the community’s connection to the area.
Community health and wellbeing are integral to the festival. The event encourages the public to be active by walking along the length of the foreshore and participating in events such as building sandcastles, hula hooping, dancing to live music, and swimming in the local pool.
A strong social media campaign encourages the community to take advantage of Nightcliff’s Active Movement Network and ride their bike to the festival with a valet service provided and prizes offered.
A strong social media campaign encourages the community to take advantage of Nightcliff’s Active Movement Network and ride their bike to the festival with a valet service provided and prizes offered.
To help attendees identify and make healthier and more sustainable food and drink choices, the festival is a sugary drink free event with water actively promoted and fruit provided as alternatives. Festival coordinators have increased the availability of healthy refreshment options through the introduction of a red-light rating system.
Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival aspires for everyone to feel visible, valued and part of the Top End community. Although most of the festival is free and in relatively accessible spaces, barriers such as medical treatment, living in a residential care space or limited mobility can make the festival inaccessible for some members of the community so there are events designed to bring the celebrations to these groups. In 2017, artists were engaged to perform at a medical facility, aged care home and local parks within the Nightcliff suburb. A circus troupe, June Mills (a well-known local singer) and a Balinese Dance Group performed within these venues, to audiences who otherwise would not have had access to the festival. The cost for this “Visibility/Mobility” project was $25,000.
Project team
- Volunteer Committee Members
- Northern Territory Government
- City of Darwin
- Charles Darwin University
- Nightcliff Bendigo Bank
- Corrugated Iron Youth Arts
- Festivals Australia
- Community Benefit Fund
- Class A Energy Solutions
- Power and Water Association
- Living Water Smart
- Bicycle Network Northern Territory
- Northern Territory Recycling Solutions (NTRS) waste recycling
- Environment Centre Northern Territory
Project cost
$130,000 annually
Health value
- The Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival facilitates physical activity (dance, yoga, Free Recreation and Entertainment for Everyone in the Parks [FREEPS]), and mindfulness through meditation and artistic expression.
- The Community Village attracts many health and sports groups e.g. Northern Territory Aids and Hepatitis Council, Nightcliff Sports Club, Medicare, and Homebirth Association for the community to connect with.
- The festival is committed to engaging the community in healthy food and drink choices. No sugary drinks are sold, with fresh whole fruit and water provided and promoted as alternatives.
- The Dance Stage is an integral part of the festival with over 500 people performing. For many people, the festival is the only opportunity to perform publicly throughout the year.
Economic value
- The Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival facilitates physical activity (dance, yoga, Free Recreation and Entertainment for Everyone in the Parks [FREEPS]), and mindfulness through meditation and artistic expression.
- The Community Village attracts many health and sports groups e.g. Northern Territory Aids and Hepatitis Council, Nightcliff Sports Club, Medicare, and Homebirth Association for the community to connect with.
- The festival is committed to engaging the community in healthy food and drink choices. No sugary drinks are sold, with fresh whole fruit and water provided and promoted as alternatives.
- The Dance Stage is an integral part of the festival with over 500 people performing. For many people, the festival is the only opportunity to perform publicly throughout the year.
Environmental value
Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival is committed to being socially and environmentally sustainable and in 2017 adopted many environmental strategies including:
- Hosting the inaugural Green Pavilion with guest speakers, forums and walks that responded to environmental issues and celebrated the local environment.
- Banning the sale of single-use plastic bottles, disposable cups or plastic straws and developing a ‘Bring Your Own’ reusable bottle campaign with water stations available along the foreshore.
- Requiring stalls to serve food in biodegradable containers and drinks in reusable cups and to separate their own rubbish before disposal in the appropriated bins.
- Providing compost bins and volunteers to separate food and other compostable materials which was then delivered to and used by the Lakeside Community Garden.
- Introducing 10 x 240-litre recycling bins to encourage recycling.
- Offering free public transport supported by the Northern Territory Government for people attending the festival.
Social value
- 15,000 people attend the Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival each year, with most people actively interacting in the activities provided.
- As the festival is free, it is inclusive and easily accessible, and the public is encouraged to participate and interact with each other helping to create a sense of place.
Use value
The Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival is an annual event, which brings the community together to celebrate its diversity and enables local people to showcase their talents, skills and knowledge in a safe and inclusive environment.
References
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