It may have been soggy underfoot for this year’s Mt Evelyn Street Party, but that didn’t dampen people’s spirits as they soaked up all that was on offer.
Volunteer marketing coordinator Dan Hickingbotham said attendance was great, despite the rain, and it felt like “a vote of confidence” that people love and appreciate the Party.
“There was just a real buzz around. It felt like everyone was there because they wanted to be there, rain, hail or shine,” he said.
“People packed their umbrellas and their jackets and came down and made the most of it. There was a bit of a feeling among the people I chatted to that Mt Evelyn’s a resilient community, and a bit of rain isn’t going to stop us.”
With some small pivots to ensure everything could run on a wet-weather timetable and adding a Splashion contest, Dan said there were several highlights.
This year’s theme was all about celebrating creative communities, and Dan said the music and live performances were a huge part of that, seeing local bands, schools and young performers take to the stage, providing “a good mix of music and entertainment”.
The art show, hosted in the Mt Evelyn Community House, also drew a crowd, putting on a display of local artists.
Dan said another hit from the day was the relocated youth hub.
“We actually moved the youth hub from the skate park down to the Mount Evelyn public hall at the last minute, and the scouts and a bunch of other organisations ran games, there was a DJ, and there was lots going on,” he said.
Bringing such positivity for the day, Dan said the market stall holders were wonderful and “they were so keen for it to be a success”.
A special addition to the 2025 event was a tent dedicated to Amigo, a Mt Evelyn stalwart.
“To celebrate the life of Amigo, Sam, the man from the lolly shop, and because amigo means friendship, we got some beads and set up a little station to make bracelets with to carry on his legacy of being a good friend to our community,” Dan said.
Putting on an event of this scale, Dan said, takes a lot of volunteer effort and resources, and so bringing some more community-minded people with ideas and experience into the fold would be ideal.
“We’ve got a small volunteer team, but we’d love to have a big volunteer team. It is a huge undertaking. Lots of volunteer hours go into it. But it’s one of those events where you get to the day, and it’s such a fun team environment, a fun team effort, and you get to meet some great people and do a really fun thing together and get to celebrate our community,” he said.
“We’re really keen to get the message out there this year that we want more volunteers for next time. It was a stretch this year with the volunteers, but it was also super rewarding. We’d love to have more volunteers so we can do more with it.”
For anyone interested in supporting the event next time, Dan said they can send a direct message via social media or reach out via the website.
The coordinating committee would also really love to hear feedback about this year’s event and any ideas to include in the future.
Community members can do this in person on Thursday 30 October at the Mt Evelyn Community House at 7.30pm. Or use the feedback form found on the website, mtevelynstreetparty.com
Gaining insights from the community and ensuring it remains relevant ensures “it’s got a real personal feel to it”.
