The world’s first ‘phygital’ flower festival will bloom from Main Beach next month, all with the aim of bringing joy and a sense of purpose and rejuvenation.
The Main Beach Flower Festival, which attracted more than 10,000 people to Tedder Avenue in Spring last year, has reinvented itself as a ‘phygital’ event – one where physical space and digital technologies will combine. Locals are being called upon to use their imagination to design thousands of butterflies made from materials found around their homes so the creations can feature in the festival’s artistic centrepiece, which will be ‘revealed’ online on 27 June.
The centrepiece will be a stunningly decorated repurposed shipping container filled with the handmade butterflies and covered with incredible artwork. A 3D digital photographer will film inside the container so festival goers can ‘walk-around inside’ the container via their computer. Everyone will be able to search for their butterflies while being immersed in the beauty of the installation from the comfort of their home.
Organising committee member and owner of Flowers on Tedder, Margot de Groot said she hoped the new style of festival would uplift and rejuvenate the community. “Given today’s circumstances of COVID-19, which followed Australia’s catastrophic bushfire season, we decided to design a festival that had the potential to truly involve the entire community and bring joy to their lives,” said Ms de Groot, who conceived the idea to hold the inaugural festival in 2019. “We hope to help everyone focus and reflect on the beauty of nature while being connected in a special way through making butterflies and then having the chance to discover their creations.”
While organisers are very conscious of social distancing and other physical restrictions, they stressed the public would be welcome to visit Tedder Avenue and witness all its beauty on the last weekend of June.
Readers also enjoyed our story on Caloundra Street Fair Return
