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FAQ

We know the 2025 Festival is quite unique when compared to our previous events, so we’ve prepared a list of Frequently Asked Questions to help.

  1. Why are we hearing about the 2025 AOL so late this year?
    Despite several public callouts, there was insufficient community interest in planning a three-day festival this year. Unfortunately, with limited community representation, it wasn’t practical, from both funding and resourcing standpoints, to pursue a three-day festival in 2025. We hope this will encourage new volunteers to join our committee and come together to create an even bigger festival for our community next year.

  2. What alternatives were explored?
    The committee has worked through alternative solutions and it was deemed best in the festival’s long-term interests to spend the 2025 funding provided by SSC on a single-day event for the community – aka AOL ‘Lite’.

  3. Why was a three-day festival not viable this year?
    The Art of Living relies on significant funding and resources to plan and deliver each year. On average it costs approximately $30,000 to put on the core 3-day festival.

    While we successfully expanded the experience to include children’s rides and larger festival staging during the 2024 festival, the additional costs of these enhancements is unsustainable with the current funding and resource allocation. We would love to get back to our regular three-day festival next year but for 2025 – lite is just right!

  4. Why is this year’s event in June (1st)
    Given the limited resources this year, we decided to go ahead with a lighter version of the festival to ensure we can still deliver an annual festival for our community.

    PS. June 1st is also the first day of winter and the UN Global Day of Parents. Both great reasons to celebrate this day together.

  5. What are the key differences between the ‘lite’ and a full AOL Festival?
    To make an event possible this year, the ‘lite’ festival centers around working in partnership with multiple local organisations. This allows us to still provide the core festival experience you know and love, with reduced resources and costs.

    We’ve altered some event activities, locations, and timings to fit as much into a one-day festival as possible. More information on the 2025 AOL Festival will become available in the following weeks on our website.

    We’re continuing to seek sponsorship and in-kind support to enable a full festival in 2026, and welcome suggestions and feedback via our Have Your Say survey for the long-term sustainability of the Art of Living Festival for future generations!

  6. Where can I get my sweet, sweet fix of local ART this year?
    We’ve heard through the grapevine that many locals haven’t experienced our treasured Art Trail despite artists opening their studios every month for over 25 years. So, we thought we would change that!

    This year we have partnered with the Bundeena Maianbar Art Trail to encourage locals and visitors to experience art in action by visiting local artists in their working studios.

    This way you’ll get an up-close and personal experience of the creative process behind the art and appreciate even more the works exhibited at past, present and future AOL Art Show’s.

  7. Where can I groove to the Music?
    Music has always been a major focus of the AOL Festival.  So much so that last year’s event was a triumph – bolder, bigger, better!

    While we would love to replicate this amazing musical experience, the 2025 committee doesn’t have the industry connections, professional event planning expertise, volunteer base, or finances to offer an expansive music program.

    What we do have is a small group of community minded volunteers who are focused on curating a fun event that heroes’ local musicians.  The AOL has partnered with the Bundeena Bowling and Sports Club (The Bowlo) to host a soulful afternoon of music for you to groove to. Our much-loved local musicians, Peter Morgan and Madeline King have generously agreed to direct the music program for Sunday 1st June.

  8. Are there any activities for kids this year?
    Yes absolutely, we’re working on a program of activities for our pre-school, primary and teens to enjoy, and will be providing updates via our website and social media in the coming weeks as we finalise this, so stay tuned.

  9. How will visitors move around to the different festival locations?
    Bundeena is a small place, and most festivalgoers will be able to walk between the different events.

    A hop-on hop-off bus (the Festival Express) will be provided to help festivalgoers get between the Art Trial, markets and music. The bus will do a loop of events so you can hop on and hop off to maximise your enjoyment of the festivities!

  10. How can I contribute to the continuity of the Art of Living Festival?
    We know different people want different things from their festival experiences. So, we want to find out what our unique Bundeena and Maianbar Community wants from its own annual festival:
    • Do you want an annual Art of Living festival? Or is it time to move on to something completely new?
    • What do you think of the scope and priorities of the festival? What should be included, excluded or improved?
    • Can you contribute time, resources and/or money to help organise and run the festival moving forward?

You can help the committee to understand the needs and preferences of the community by:

    • responding to our Have Your Say survey, a quick 5 min survey to gather your feedback on previous festivals and ideas for the future
    • attending our co-design workshop, where we will look at the results from the survey and co-designing the festival for 2026 and beyond
      • WHAT: Build Your Own AOL Festival Co-Design Workshop
      • WHEN: 2.30-4.00pm Sunday June 15th 2025
      • WHERE: Bundeena Community & Services Club

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