On Saturday 17th September the YO Bendigo Events team held the first BendiGLOW Youth Fest in Eaglehawk. The event was a UV lit, neon wonderland for all ages and had live music stage, skate workshops, food trucks, badge making, glitter bar, temporary tattoos, podcast recording and more!
With heavy rain forecast we moved our plans into the nearby Peter Krenz Leisure Centre’s basketball stadium, which paid off as we faced torrential downpours and hail on the day. While we're sure this affected the attendance numbers, the event was a huge success hosting approximately 200 people - most of which were aged 12 – 24 with many of them attending their first live music event without parental supervision. Punters reported that it was “a fantastic event” and “wonderfully different from other community events in Bendigo”, showing just how much Bendigo's youth and young adults are craving more local, social, musically focussed events and environments.
BendiGLOW was also supported by All Aboard Skateboarding Sessions, Headspace, Trans and Gender Diverse Bendigo and Beyond, The Back Beat Podcast and Sisterworks who hosted stalls and activities on the day - including artist interviews with Some Heard Trouble and The Last Martyr. We also had a huge collection of prizes donated, including vouchers and funky items from Bendigo Vinyl, Star Cinema, Sisterworks, Trash Cult, Skip's Skate Shop, Eporium Creative Hub, a heap of POP! Vinyls from Collect 'Em All, and plenty more!
Many attendees and participants were from a wide range of diverse backgrounds including First Nations and CALD performers, disabled stall holders and a high representation from the LGBTQIA+ community, making the evening a fantastically inviting, inclusive, and impressive effort from everyone involved.
BendiGLOW also provided paid work opportunities for 13 young people, and empowered many young volunteers by building their skills in event management, public speaking, marketing, entrepreneurship and more.
Check out just a few snaps from the evening in the gallery below, and if you're aged 12-25 and interested in getting involved and joining the team, reach out via the Yo Bendigo social platforms or the 'Contact Us' page - the more the merrier!
