By Cameron Weston
COMMONWEALTH Reserve was ablaze with colour and movement last weekend as the Williamstown Festival got under way.
The Sun Theatre outdoor cinema screening was washed out on Friday evening, but threatening dark clouds over the weekend didn’t burst and the sun even managed to make an appearance on Sunday.
Arts events were the order of the day on Saturday, with poetry, live music, film and musical theatre on offer at free public events in and around the reserve.
Sunday was set aside for the community and families, peaking in the afternoon with the Williamstown Community Carnival.
Kites rode a stiff southerly breeze in the skies on Sunday above the Point Gellibrand Timeball Tower, one of the many family-friendly activities that made the festival appealing to all ages.
One Williamstown mum, Lol, who was at the festival with her family and was involved with the Williamstown Primary School stall, said the weather had put a dampener on the early part of the event, but that the lighter skies on Saturday and Sunday had seen things pick up.
She said the range of activities, many of them free, made the festival a good option for families and a great way to mix with other local people.
“I think there is a real sense of community. There’s that lovely sense of camaraderie.”
Festival manager Fleur Arnold believed that the essential ingredients which helped to make the festival a great success were the stunning open spaces of Commonwealth Reserve and the Nelson Place precinct, and the unbridled enthusiasm of the local people who supported the popular event.
“There’s really a strong sense of community in Williamstown. Everyone gets really passionate,” she said.
The Williamstown Sea Scouts was one of many community groups running a stall this year and the smell of barbecued sausages flowing from the tent made it one of the easiest to find.
Assistant scout leader Lita said the festival was a fantastic way to raise funds while increasing the Sea Scouts’ profile.
“We get our faces known in the community and that is what we are always trying to do.
“The festival stall is a great way to raise or community profile,” she said.
Money raised by the Sea Scouts at this year’s festival will go towards helping members get to the international Jamboree, in Elmore, Victoria, later this year.
