Brisbane City Council’s
Sustainable BNE Festival
Brisbane’s favourite sustainable living festival
Sustainable BNE Festival
Learn how to go green at Brisbane City Council’s sustainable living festival in autumn each year, while getting outdoors and reconnecting with nature on 64 hectares of open space and rolling hills at Victoria Park, Herston.
This free, family and dog-friendly event brings together Brisbane’s leading sustainability experts ready to share practical tips and tricks to help you live a more eco-friendly life. Across the day you’ll also be treated to free native plants, live entertainment, artisanal markets, food trucks, thrifting and more.
The Sustainable BNE Festival is held annually in May, so be sure to follow us on Instagram and sign up to our newsletter for all the event updates!
Brisbane City Council’s Sustainable BNE Festival is delivered in partnership with Brisbane Sustainability Agency.
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Sponsorship & exhibitor opportunities
2025 Festival Sponsors
What’s On
There will be so much to see and do at Brisbane’s favourite sustainable living festival…
Brisbane City Council Zone
Learn how to live more sustainably and pick up some free native plants to help keep Brisbane clean and green.
Live on the Green
sponsored by Seven
Join 7 News Brisbane’s weatherman, Tony Auden from the mainstage for live entertainment across the day!
Healthy Cities Zone sponsored by Bupa
Reconnect and take action for nature at this brand-new wellness zone focused on the connection between the health of the planet and the health of people.
Green Home Living Zone
There’s so many simple things we can all do at home to live a more sustainable life and bring down the cost of living at the same time!
Preserve Every Drop Zone
Every drop counts so come along and learn about the water cycle, sustainability and water security.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Zone
Learn how you can make sure nothing goes to waste in your home and workplace.
Eco Kids’ Zone
Are you looking for some fun and free eco-activities to do with your little ones? We’ve got you!
Move for Less Zone
Take your sustainable transport game to the next level, with free workshops and two and four-wheel test drives across the day.
Sustainable Shopping Zone
Reduce your fashion footprint with some preloved clothing and support Brisbane’s best creatives at BrisSyle’s handmade markets.
Feast Street
Feeling peckish? Brisbane’s favourite food trucks will be dishing up tasty treats with compostable servewear.
Resilient Home Zone
Prepare for future weather events and learn about flood resilient design, techniques and building materials to ‘build back better’.
Community Corner
Find out how you can help keep Brisbane clean, green and sustainable with some of Brisbane’s innovative community groups and organisations.
Connect and Regenerate
by QUT
This art installation created and driven by undergraduates of QUT’s School of Creative Practice is inspired by Barrambin/Victoria Park and its rich history of both colonial and Indigenous land use.
Green Heart Ranger
Learn more about sustainability and nature with hands-on craft activities in the Green Heart Ranger marquee.
About the Festival
Originally known as the Green Heart Fair, Brisbane City Council launched Brisbane’s favourite sustainability festival in 2009.
Delivered in partnership with Brisbane Sustainability Agency, the Sustainable BNE Festival celebrates and promotes innovative sustainable living in a fun, family-friendly environment with free activities, entertainment and sustainability workshops.
With a strong commitment to minimising the events’ carbon footprint through recycling and reduction practices, the ultimate goal is to have a waste-free event.
Sponsorship & Exhibitor Opportunities
We are now taking expressions of interests for event sponsors and exhibitors. If you are interesting in finding out more information about showcasing your brand at Brisbane’s leading sustainability festival, please get in touch with us.
Our commitment to sustainability
What we do
Waste Stations
We love educating people on waste. Around the Festival, we have multiple waste stations including general waste, recycling and organic waste bins. The stellar team from Mallow Sustainability take each bin to our waste sorting station on-site and ensure everything is 100% sorted, meaning no food scraps or recyclables end up in landfill.
Waste Warriors
Our waste warriors are onsite to help residents with any questions they have about what goes in what bin! They are also roaming all day to pick up any sneaky bits of rubbish that don’t make it into the bin.
Mug Library
Our lovely coffee vendors offer discounts to anyone who brings their own reusable cup. But what if you forget to bring one? Our mug library was introduced to reduce single-use coffee cups and help visitors be sustainable even if they forget their reusable coffee cup. Visitors can grab a mug, enjoy a delicious coffee, then return it to be washed and put back into our mug library to be used again.
Reduce
We aim to reduce the amount of waste created at the Sustainable BNE Festival. In order to do this we have implemented the following initiatives:
- The sale of single use plastic water bottles is banned at the Festival. There are hydration stations onsite for free water refills instead.
- Coffee vendors offer discounts to anyone who brings their own reusable cup.
- Keep Cup library for those who forgot their reusable cup.
- Banned plastic bags, plastic straws and the use of balloons.
Upcycle
We love upcycling! Across the festival site you will find many items from chairs, tables, signage and props that have been purchased second hand and repurposed for use at our events. Items that can’t be reused are donated to be repurposed for those in need by our wonderful friends in the upcycling industry.
Our food vendors
Some of Brisbane’s best food trucks will be onsite feeding the hungry crowds. There is something for everyone, from vegetarian to vegan to meaty meals.
- Our food vendors source their products locally where possible.
- All serve ware is recyclable or compostable.
We only have food vendors at the Sustainable BNE Festival who practice sustainability in their business. For example, some stalls have adopted the following:
- Recycling their cooking oil.
- Composting all food waste.
- No chemicals or artificial colours and flavours.
Do your part
To create a clean and green Brisbane there are a few things you should bring along to the Sustainable BNE Festival:
- Your hat.
- Reusable water bottle.
- Reusable coffee cup.
- Reusable bag.
- go card for the bus or lock for your bike.
- A smile!
Were you caught on camera at previous Festivals?
Tag yourself on our Facebook page for all the photos from previous events.
FAQs
The Festival welcomes Brisbane’s best sustainability organisations, community groups, artisans, foodies, green-thumbs, conservationists, businesses and eco experts to share information and knowledge with Brisbane residents on how to live more sustainably. Fair goers are treated to heaps of fun activities and entertainment throughout the day with a jam-packed schedule.
Parking is also available for $5 per vehicle at QUT J Block under the QUT Kelvin Grove Stadium. Shuttle buses will be running from there from 8:30am – 3.30pm for event attendees. Head to the designated pick up / drop off zone.
Reusable water bottle
Reusable coffee cup
A smile
