Bookworms can dance their way through the pages, families can build giant cardboard forests and Melburnians can swap, repair and reuse their way through spring when RESET returns to Fed Square.
The free sustainability festival kicks off on 5 September with the Planting Party, taking over the Skyline Car Park and Test Garden with talks, workshops, a plant market and live music. Visitors can get hands-on with propagation, weaving, botanical drawing and habitat building, while conversations explore Caring for Country, regenerative design, language and the Birrarung.
Things get even more playful on 12 September with the Zero Waste Festival, featuring repair stations, bike fixes, clothes, book and fabric swaps, sustainable cooking and the inaugural ReWear Runway, showcasing clothing made from reclaimed materials.
Then comes one of the more unusual events on the program. Book Doof will transform The Atrium into a daytime rave for readers on 13 September, with free coffee, books and vinyl spun by a DJ from the balcony.
The September school holidays bring plenty for families, including a nature discovery trail and the return of Polyglot Theatre’s Paper Planet from 28 September to 2 October. The giant cardboard installation first premiered at Fed Square 15 years ago and invites children to create their own creatures, costumes and environments.
There will also be free afternoon movies on the Big Screen, with Flipper, Free Willy and Fly Away Home screening across the holidays.
Other highlights include a Birrarung clean-up on 18 September, junk journaling, sewing and repair sessions and The Big Toy Swap.
RESET wraps up on 17 October with Confluence 2026, exploring the future of Melbourne’s waterways.
