Birrarung Riverfest 2026

Birrarung Riverfest

Stretching 242 kilometres from the Yarra Ranges to Port Phillip Bay, the Yarra River winds through the heart of Melbourne and provides an important habitat for an abundance of wildlife.

Known as Birrarung by the Wurundjeri people, the river has been central to Aboriginal life and culture for countless generations. The name Yarra came into use in the 1830s, reportedly after surveyor John Helder Wedge misunderstood the local expression "Yarro Yarro", meaning "it flows".

Today, the Birrarung catchment is home to more than a third of Victoria's population, and Birrarung Riverfest returns for its fourth year to celebrate and care for this remarkable waterway.

Running from September 27 to October 18, the festival features more than 70 free events along the river, stretching from Warburton to Westgate Park.

This year's Riverfest ambassador is comedian, author and broadcaster Sammy J, who will take part in several events across the program.

Opening weekend highlights include an Open Day at Wandersloe Sanctuary and a riverside picnic with the Yarra Riverkeepers on September 27. Other activities include learn-to-paddle sessions for schoolchildren on September 29, an eight-kilometre walk along the Birrarung on September 30 and an evening walk at Finns Reserve on October 2 in search of the elusive platypus. On October 4, volunteers can get their hands dirty planting indigenous groundcovers and shrubs along the river.

Sammy J will MC and perform at River Rhythms, a singer-songwriter competition in Warburton on September 27, before returning for the Big Birrarung Paddle on October 10.

The paddle combines recreation with a river clean-up, with volunteers taking to the Birrarung in kayaks and rowboats to collect rubbish from the water along the way.

With walks, paddles, wildlife encounters, conservation activities, music and community events, Birrarung Riverfest offers plenty of ways to explore the river while helping to protect it.