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Published on 21 September 2026
City of Melton residents are invited to save the date for Djerriwarrh Festival 2026, returning to High Street, Melton on Saturday 7 November.
This year’s festival will have a refreshed format designed to create a more connected, family-friendly celebration from 2pm to 9pm.
The event will feature free entertainment, activities, food, markets along High Street and live music performances between 2pm and 9pm. The festival will be capped off with a fireworks display, weather permitting.
Families can enjoy roving performers, art installations, children’s entertainment, hands-on workshops, food vendors, and plenty of surprises throughout the afternoon before settling in for an evening of live music and fireworks.
The Playground on the Civic Lawn will offer a range of free, family-friendly activities, including the Trash Puppets Workshop, Giant Bubble Zone, 10-minute dance parties, a wildlife display and craft workshops.
The Good Sports Hub will feature sport, circus activities, fitness workshops, local clubs and plenty of opportunities for festivalgoers to get involved.
Festival Central will feature a BMX showcase and workshops, a Market Village and circus performances. Food lovers will also have plenty to choose from, with more than 20 vendors offering a variety of food and drinks.
This year, schools will be invited to participate in arts workshops as part of the festival in lieu of the street parade. Participating schools will have their artwork exhibited at the Melton Civic Centre.
The carnival, which has previously operated on the weekend of the Festival by the Lions Club of Melton, will also not take place this year due to the logistical and risk management requirements associated with delivering the carnival.
When: Saturday 7 November 2026, 2pm – 9pm Where: High Street, Melton, between Smith Street & Hannah Watts Park
Quotes attributable to City of Melton Mayor, Cr Lara Carli:
“Djerriwarrh Festival is one of our city’s most-loved community events, and this year’s refreshed format is about making the day feel even more connected, welcoming and enjoyable for families, with free activities and entertainment for everyone to enjoy.”
“We’ve created a more cohesive program that brings together daytime activities, live music and fireworks in one great afternoon and evening celebration.”
Djerriwarrh Festival 2026 will be held on Saturday 7 November 2026 from 2pm to 9pm.
The festival will return to High Street, Melton, between Smith Street and Hannah Watts Park.
The event has been shortened to create a more connected and family-friendly experience. Feedback from families showed the previous split between daytime and evening programming made it difficult to stay and enjoy the full festival.
Daytime programming will run from 2pm to 7pm and include free entertainment, activities, workshops, food vendors, markets and roving performers.
Live music will continue on the Main Stage until 9pm, followed by fireworks, weather permitting.
Yes. The festival will finish with a fireworks display, weather permitting.
No. The street parade will not take place in 2026 as part of the refreshed festival program.
Earlier this year, Council reviewed the Djerriwarrh Festival and heard from the community that the previous split between daytime and evening programming made it difficult to stay and enjoy the full festival. In recent years, participation and attendance at the street parade have declined, while the cost and risk management required in running the parade has remained significant. Removing the parade allows Council to redirect resources into other festival activities that can be enjoyed by more people, as well as reduce road closures.
Groups and organisations that have taken part in the parade in previous years are being invited to explore other ways to participate in this year’s festival.
The 2026 program has been shaped by this review, and Council will continue to consider the future format of the festival.
Notes on the parade:
It has always been free to participate in the parade
Despite the poor weather over the past two years, interest in participating and attending the parade has dropped with a further decline last year
Cost savings from operating the parade have been re-invested into new programming and activities at the festival
Participation, engagement and attendance at the parade have declined in recent years. This year, schools will be invited to participate in arts workshops as part of the festival in lieu of the street parade. Participating schools will have their artwork exhibited at the Melton Civic Centre. Removing the parade also allows Council to reduce road closures and redirect resources into free festival activities that can be enjoyed by more attendees.
Yes, but road closures will be reduced compared with previous years. Closures will be limited to High Street between Smith Street and Melton Valley Drive, Yuille Street, and Nixon Street from Reserve Road to Mackenzie Street.
The carnival has traditionally been run by the Lions Club of Melton as a component alongside the Djerriwarrh Festival.
Reviewing last year's event and as part of planning for this year’s event, Council was advised of the requirements to continue to have the carnival operate. This included the need for clearer and more robust responsibilities around traffic and site management, safety and insurances. These requirements were also shared with the Lions Club.
The Lions Club has been advised that any future public event can be considered through Council’s event permit process, which sets out these requirements. However, the Lions Club has not applied to run the carnival in 2026 but will still be part of this year’s Djerriwarrh Festival, running a BBQ fundraiser on the day.
Families can enjoy roving performers, art installations, children’s entertainment, hands-on workshops, food vendors, markets, live music and other activities throughout the afternoon and evening.
Yes. More than 20 vendors will offer a variety of food and drink options.
Yes. The refreshed format is designed to create a more connected, welcoming and family-friendly celebration, with an increased focus on free activities across the afternoon and live entertainment into the evening.
More information about Djerriwarrh Festival 2026 will be available on the Festival website closer to the event.