Shortly before coronavirus (COVID-19) created widespread upheaval to daily life, Australia experienced one of its worst bushfire seasons on record. These unprecedented bushfires destroyed homes, livelihoods, habitats, animals, and, tragically, human lives.

Collaboratively, our world came together; from fundraising to donating, to on-the-ground volunteering, our community wanted to help however they could.

Yarra City Council waived all event permit fees and fast tracked all permits for events raising funds for bushfire relief, ensuring all funds raised would be passed directly to people, charities and organisations in need.

Yarra’s Venues and Events team received an abundance of enquiries from people organising events in public spaces across City of Yarra. Events both large and small were held throughout our parks and gardens, including music events at Fairfield Amphitheatre, picnics at Barkly Gardens and BBQs at Edinburgh Gardens. The way the local community came together showed great collective compassion and generosity, and Council is pleased to have been able to support these events.

The largest event staged in Yarra to support bushfire relief was Grill for Good, a live music event at Victoria Park. Yarra’s Major Event Officer Abby Gee worked closely with event organisers to bring the live music event together in just four days, resulting in a sold-out event that saw over 5,000 people coming together to support bushfire relief efforts.

Overall, Yarra City Council supported over 30 bushfire fundraising events that collectively raised more than $227,000 for people, charities and organisations affected by the bushfires. Yarra City Arts would like to extend a big thank you to everyone within the City of Yarra and beyond who contributed during this time.