General News
13 July, 2023
Name change confirmed for major Lexton festival
The Rainbow Serpent Festival’s future will look different in more ways than one, with a name change announced this week as organisers work to get the event back up and running at Lexton. The festival — which will now be called the Rainbow Spirit...
The Rainbow Serpent Festival’s future will look different in more ways than one, with a name change announced this week as organisers work to get the event back up and running at Lexton.
The festival — which will now be called the Rainbow Spirit Festival — hasn’t run since January 2019 after the grounds were damaged in the Lexton-Ben Major bushfire just before Christmas the same year.
Initially the festival was scheduled to return in 2022 with a new Easter date set due to concerns around the safety of holding a large-scale event during peak summer temperatures and bushfire season, however that date was pushed back again with a new timeframe yet to be announced.
“While we’d love nothing more than to announce our next festival dates, the site permit renewal process has been more complex and timle consuming than we’d anticipated,” festival organisers said in a statement released last week.
“Quite simply our situation has significantly more hoops to jump through than most event sites and despite making good progress, we still have a way to go before we can securely lock in a festival date.
“We are confident of gaining the approvals needed, we just need to take our time to ensure the best outcome for the event and the ongoing protection and preservation of our beautiful site.
“As we are sure you would all agree, there is something extra special about our home so as frustrating as the continued delay is for us all, it’ll be worth it when we all come together in Lexton once again.”
Festival organisers said the name change to Rainbow Spirit is “in honour and appreciation of the Rainbow Serpent Dreaming”.
“We thank our Dja Dja Wurrung and Wadawurrung friends and the many other First Nations Peoples who have shared their stories and teachings with us all,” they said.
“Holding strong to the values of deep connection to land and spirit that are the foundation of the festival, we embrace this time of recreation and regeneration, in a union of cultures inspired by the Rainbow spirit as we evolve into a new era.”