Spice up your spring at the Basant Festival

Put a spring into your step with the Live Lighter Basant Festival on October 27, which promises a day filled with food, fun and a range of exciting activities for people of all ages! 

The festival is traditionally an Indian subcontinent celebration commemorating the arrival of spring, which invites people to embrace new beginnings in life, as represented through the festival's signature kite flying activities. 

Try your hand at making your very own free kite and fly it to your heart’s content while watching the sky brighten up with a myriad of other kites, then have a blast watching fireworks illuminate the sky.

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Have a ball with interactive stage performances and dance entertainment, as well as multicultural dance performances. You will also get the opportunity to show off your best moves in the event’s dance competition.

Those of you who prefer dancing without the spotlight on you, fret not! You can groove along in the dance workshops to add some new moves to your repertoire. These will include the Bollywood workshop and the Bhangra workshop by Jhoom Dance crew, a Perth-based dance school which also specialises in dance performances. 

Get a taste of different cultures by trying food and beverages from a multitude of food vendors, and give yourself a healthy treat by enjoying some free fruit while you’re at it. 

Some of the mouth-watering offerings include ice cream from Suzy’s Soft Serve Ice Cream to cool you down, sumptuous satays by Bunga Raya Satay, delectable Indian food absolutely bursting with flavour and Chimney Treat’s irresistible Chimney cones that will take your taste buds on a ride. These Hungarian cones are cylindrical pastries filled with ice cream which can be decorated with a variety of toppings! What’s more, the cones emit smoke after they’ve been baked. How cool is that?

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When you’ve had your fill of all the delicious food, follow up your feast with refreshing beverages such as the environmentally-friendly Juice Station’s fresh fruit and vegetable juices, coffee from Better Beans Coffee and Kombucha from Australian Booch Kombucha. 

Soak in the lively festival atmosphere while weaving through a variety of market stalls, then pop over to the entertainment and activities corner to liven up your festival experience. 

For those with children, this festival will be brimming with activities fit to put a smile on their faces and make tucking them in bed easier! The festival will offer free kids rides and a kids colouring competition that will be sure to let their creative juices flow, not to mention the other activities which can be enjoyed by festival goers of all ages.

You can also indulge in self expression by getting henna art, or unleash your creativity by painting and decorating umbrellas with Arty Brellas.

Although being surrounded by festival buzz can be exhilarating, if you prefer a low-sensory experience or you want to take a break from the excitement, you can gravitate towards the meditation sessions by the river. 

Take part in the festival fun at Langley Park, Riverside Drive in East Perth. If you are not a morning person, worry not! The festival starts at 11am and ends at 9pm, complete with a local Perth DJ to end your Sunday night on a good note in preparation for the Monday morning ahead. 

Admission is free (click here to register), so why not set aside some time for the sights and sounds this fantastic festival has to offer, and maybe grab some friends or have family tag along? The more the merrier!