The inaugural Yackandandah Arts Festival will give Christmas shoppers a sustainable gift option, and theatre and art buffs much to ponder.
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There are 14 free events and two that require bookings - a screening of the film 2040 and a production of 'Letters to Greta' - across the first weekend of December.
The festival was organised to coincide with events like the annual High Country Christmas Fair, committee member Tim Evans said at Thursday's launch.
"The inaugural festival starts on December 6 with the Big Night Out, which is a spectacular event to be held in the garden stage area of the Star Hotel, and will conclude on Sunday the 8th of December with a fabulous performance by Violindigo," he said.
"We've been very fortunate to be able to get some plays adapted through an organisation supporting Greta Thunberg - their theme is environmental, which is the underlying theme of the festival."
A wooden "environmental wish tree", created by the Men's Shed with local timber and painted by artists, is a symbol for the event.
"Paper oak leaves have been cut out by volunteers at the Op Shop and 200 school children will be asked in workshops to write down ideas of how we can help the environment," Mr Evans said.
"We'll pick three of those ideas to form the themes for next year's festival."
Former Indi MP Cathy McGowan attended the launch and said it was exciting to showcase the talent of Yackandandah's community.
"This is the inaugural festival, so I'm hoping it will grow to great strengths a bit like what has happened with the Folk Festival," she said.
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"These are things people can get involved.
"It's a destination point for people to come and shop and spend their money, and I love the idea of the social economy of arts as a way of building economical development."
The festival has been supported by a number of local artists, and funding from Arts Yackandandah and Indigo Shire Council.
Find out more at www.yackartfestival.com.au.