As we navigate an era marked by unprecedented environmental and climatic upheaval, and as global heating hits 1.5ºC, we are taking a step that reflects the gravity of our times. After much reflection, the National Sustainable Living Festival will be entering a planning hiatus in 2026.
This pause comes at a moment when the urgency of our collective mission has never been clearer or more compelling.
After 25 years of partnership, the City of Melbourne unexpectedly discontinued its funding support for the Festival this year. This decision leaves us without a principal partner for the 2026 program. We have chosen to view this as an opportunity—a pause to build new relations with partners who are committed to driving meaningful sustainability action.
Over the past years, the Festival has staged thousands of events, hosted hundreds of organisations, and welcomed tens of thousands of people annually—building one of Australia’s most enduring and impactful platforms for sustainability action. This history of collaboration, community energy and shared purpose is the foundation we now draw on as we chart the Festival’s next evolution.
We are all facing a time of profound peril—climate emergencies, biodiversity crises, and with this comes the pressing need to reinvent our approach to sustainability so that it can resonate more deeply and effectively.
We will miss the energy and connection of the Festival next year, but this hiatus is our way of acknowledging that the scale of the challenge demands a suspension of business as usual to allow for a brief period of investigation and strategic reflection.
We are committed to returning with a program that is even more impactful and that can truly help accelerate the action now needed to restore the safe climate conditions necessary for a sustainable future.
We will keep you updated as we shape this next chapter. In the meantime, we invite you to share your ideas and reflections with us through our feedback form, which is now available.
Thank you for your unwavering support and for joining us in this journey of reflection and renewal.
