Once Upon a Festival 2022 : Community Gala

As an addition to this year’s festival, we introduced the Once Upon A Festival: Community Gala, a night of celebrating the written word and the wonders it brings to both young and old.

The event was expertly MC’d by Australian journalist, news, and radio presenter, Rebecca Morse, ably assisted by Casey M (Year 11), and supported by DJ, Jacob A (Year 9).

The community event was a fantastic evening of entertainment, including music performances from Immanuel College and Immanuel Primary students, slam poetry by poet Joel McKerrow, and The Ultimate Story Battle – featuring Festival authors George Ivanoff, RA Spratt, Louise Park, and Tristan Bancks.

The Bookshop did a roaring trade, and some of the festival authors were there to do book signings. Everyone also enjoyed the street performers, interactive murals, and food trucks.

The highlight of the evening was the ‘Sliming for Charity’. Brave volunteers were slimed for a great cause, including authors Tristan Bancks and George Ivanoff, along with Immanuel College Principal Kevin Richardson and Primary School Principal Rebecca Clements. The crowd went wild for this spectacle, and it was a lot of fun!

Our Student Representative Council sold $1 tickets, with 100% of funds raised going to Room to Read, who partner with global communities to support literacy and gender equality in education – raising close to $400!

A big thanks to everyone involved in this event – such a fantastic evening celebrating all things books!