Buddha's Day & Multicultural Festival

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Buddha's Day & Multicultural Festival

The three-day-long Buddha’s Day and Multicultural Festival returns to Golden Square Car Park on Friday, 2 May - Sunday, 4 May 2025!

The Buddha's Day and Multicultural Festival will celebrate its 26th anniversary with a theme of Wisdom and Innovation which will be explored through a huge variety of ceremonies and concerts. New to 2022, a five-story high mural painted by Mike Makatron, a well renowned local street artist, depicts the sacred fig tree under which the Buddha sat when he attained Enlightenment. Each Festival evening

from 6 PM till 11 PM, the Bodhi Tree will come alive with digital animations created by the team of Artists in Motion, providing the illusion of the tree experiencing a range of weather elements, symbolically representing the hardships and challenges the Prince experienced while in his meditative state to reach Enlightenment and become Buddha. Nearby our Virtual Wishing Tree will enable Festival patrons and people from all over the world to contribute messages of hope which will appear as leaves budding and growing on the Wishing Tree, able to be viewed by a global audience. To participate in the Bodhi Tree experience or for more information about the Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival visit https://www.buddhaday.org.au/

01/05/2025

D-1 to the Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival at Golden Square, 217 Lonsdale St and we are pumped to welcome all of you to our Light It Up Opening Ceremony at 6.30 PM. Catch the debut of ‘The Light’, an incredible animated light projection that brings the iconic five-storey Bodhi Tree mural at 217 Lonsdale Street to life, with bold and expanded visuals💫

Three fun-filled days of FREE:
🍵Tea Ceremonies
💃🏻Multicultural Performances & Dance Workshops (🇮🇩🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇿🇦🇻🇳🇮🇳🇯🇵🇲🇰🇨🇳🇰🇷)
🧸Puppet Shows by .melbourne
🧘🏻‍♀️Guided Meditation
🙏🏻Buddhist Ceremonies
🪷 Lumbini Garden
🌳 Mindfulness Forest
💫Animated Bodhi Tree Mural Show - Friday & Saturday Nights Only
and many more!!

✨Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival
📍Golden Square
📅 Fri 2 - Sun 4 May
✅ FREE Activities
🌐 bit.ly/BDMFMelb

30/04/2025

D-2 to the Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival at Golden Square, 217 Lonsdale St.

Three fun-filled days of FREE:
🍵Tea Ceremonies
💃🏻Multicultural Performances & Dance Workshops (🇮🇩🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇿🇦🇻🇳🇮🇳🇯🇵🇲🇰🇨🇳🇰🇷)
🧸Puppet Shows by yad
🧘🏻‍♀️Guided Meditation
🙏🏻Buddhist Ceremonies
🪷 Lumbini Garden
🌳 Mindfulness Forest
💫Animated Bodhi Tree Mural Show - Friday & Saturday Nights Only
and many more!!

✨Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival
📍Golden Square
📅 Fri 2 - Sun 4 May
✅ FREE Activities
🌐 bit.ly/BDMFMelb

29/04/2025

The ✨Children’s Wonderland✨ offers engaging puppet shows, face paintings, mindful and meditative arts & crafts, and creative storytelling introducing the life of the Buddha in fun and accessible ways:
🖋️Sand & Paper Calligraphy
🌈Mandala Fan, Spin & Necklace Making
🧸Fluid Bear
🛍️Tote Bag Decorating
💟Compassionate Wall
and many more!!

✨Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival
📍Golden Square
📅 Fri 2 - Sun 4 May
✅ FREE Activities
🌐 bit.ly/BDMFMelb

27/04/2025

SUNDAY 4 MAY LINE-UP:
🧘🏻‍♀️Tai Chi Meditation
🇲🇰Macedonian Dance by
👶🏻Baby Blessing Ceremony (Register now bit.ly/Babyblessing2025)
🇻🇳Vietnamese Dance & Workshop by AVAC
✒️Calligraphy Writing
🍵Tea Ceremonies
🇮🇳Bollywood Dance & Workshop by
🧸Puppet Shows by .melbourne
🐉Dragon Dance by
and many more!!

✨Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival
📍Golden Square
📅 Fri 2 - Sun 4 May
✅ FREE Activities All Day !!
🌐 bit.ly/BDMFMelb

26/04/2025

SATURDAY 3 MAY LINE-UP:
🍵Tea Ceremonies
🎌Okinawa Drum Dance by
🧸Puppet Shows by .melbourne
🇮🇩Indonesian Dance by
🪘African Dance & Workshop by
🧘🏻‍♀️Guided Meditation
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Pipe Band by
🇰🇷KPop Dance by
💫Festival’s Last Animated Bodhi Tree Mural Show - From 7 PM onwards
and many more

✨Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival
📍Golden Square
📅 Fri 2 - Sun 4 May
✅ FREE Activities All Day !!
💫 Animated Bodhi Tree Mural Show (Last show at 8:55 PM)
🌐 bit.ly/BDMFMelb

24/04/2025

Join us from 6.30pm on Friday 2 May at Golden Square for the “Light It Up” Opening Ceremony, featuring a performance from the Chinese Youth Society of Melbourne, and traditional Buddhist Ceremonies by Venerables of Fo Guang Shan.

The Ceremony culminates with an incredible animated light projection that brings the iconic five-storey Bodhi Tree mural at 217 Lonsdale Street to life, with bold and expanded visuals, surpassing its dazzling 2022 debut💫

✨Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival
📍Golden Square
📅 Fri 2 - Sun 4 May
💫 Animated Bodhi Tree Mural Show
🌐 bit.ly/BDMFMelb

22/04/2025

According to historians, the tradition of pouring fragrant water steeped with special herbs over the statue of the infant Buddha back as far as the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280AD) in China. Partake to cultivate merits and wisdom from the Buddha🙏🏻

✨ Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival
📍Golden Square, 217 Lonsdale St
📅 Fri 2 - Sun 4 May
✅ FREE Activities
🌐 bit.ly/BDMFMelb

17/04/2025

🎨 Step into a world of calm and creativity. Take a breath, pick up a marker, and let your imagination flow in this peaceful space designed for mindful colouring and quiet reflection.

✨ Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival
📍Golden Square, 217 Lonsdale St
📅 Fri 2 - Sun 4 May
🌳 Mindfulness Forest
🌐 bit.ly/BDMFMelb

16/04/2025

Each year, Venerables of Fo Guang Shan Monastic Order blesses children at the Festival so that they may live a happy and fulfilled life under the protection and guidance of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, praying that the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas will guide the little ones throughout life. Register your child early as spots are limited!

✨ Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival
📍Golden Square, 217 Lonsdale St
📅 Fri 2 - Sun 4 May
✅ Baby Blessing
🌐 bit.ly/Babyblessing2025

15/04/2025

Visit this garden of giant-sized statues and lotus flowers replicating the Lumbini Garden where Queen Maya gave birth to Buddha; providing a sanctuary for contemplative prayer and mindful relaxation in the heart of the City✨

✨ Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival
📍Golden Square
📅 Fri 2 - Sun 4 May
🪷 Lumbini Garden
🌐 bit.ly/BDMFMelb

Address

217 Lonsdale Street
Melbourne, VIC
3000

Website

http://www.buddhaday.org.au/

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Our Story

Buddha's Day & Multicultural Festival proudly presented by Fo Guang Shan Melbourne and Buddha's Light International Association of Victoria (BLIA VIC), the Buddha's Day and Multicultural Festival marks the Buddhist holidays with a unique annual event celebrating vesak or wesak (Buddha's birthday), flavoured by Melbourne's diverse multicultural society. Buddha's Day and Multicultural Festival incorporates the traditions of Buddhist ceremonies and celebrations including the "Bathing of the Buddha", daily Dharma ceremonies, the Wishing Bell and traditional incense offerings, a vegetarian culinary tour of Asia alongside the Yarra on the River Terrace, cultural demonstrations and insights, music, art and craft and community service groups. Plenty for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike! The festival is a unique introduction to Buddhism for kids and families with special activities and games for the younger of body and mind. A festival for mind, body and spirit. Instagram: BuddhasDayFestival.Vic Twitter: BDF_BLIAVic