What has now become Junction Fest has its origins in 2012 when Kath Chown from Handmade High Street met with the Annerley Junction businesses and started “Annerley Junction” Facebook page.
They discussed having an event where each shop owner would host a table stall in front of their shop to hold a “Fair Day”. The purpose of the event was to bring more people to the Annerley Junction shopping precinct as well as promote a sense of community.
The first “Annerley Junction Fair” was held on 22 June 2012. Organisations that participated at the time were Brandon’s Shoe Repairs, Handmade High Street, Southside Antiques, Dudley St Espresso, Aid for the Blind, Asthma Foundation, St Lukes Ekibin, Fishchick Aquatics.
Soon afterwards it was decided to hold a Christmas event, creating two annual events – one in winter (June/July) and the other in summer (December) event.
Initially the Festival was called Annerley Fair (2012,2103), then Junction Jumble (2014-17) and Junction Fest (2018, 2019 & 2022).
In 2014, Community Plus commenced its assistance and support for the event and from August 2018, they facilitated a re-vamped ‘Junction Fest Committee’ as the organising group of the event.
New spaces and activities started to be included – Junction Jazz, Carpark with entertainment, Annerley Arcade (downstairs), Westpac Carpark, Annerley Community Hall (Sustainability Hub & Craft Demonstrations).
After COVID, which prevented the Festival from operating, it was decided to host a bigger annual event instead of two and hold it in Spring.
In 2022, the Festival underwent a significant expansion, extending into Dudley Street East and the carpark behind the Arcade and adding several additional events and attractions.
We are again inviting the whole community to participate in the 2023 Junction Fest on October 14, and this year, you can even enter a film into the Short Film Competition or dress up your bicycle or scooter to join the midday parade. You can also visit the Art Show, watch the Fashion Parades, shop at the many stalls, learn about your local Community Groups, be amazed at the model train display, bounce on the FREE Jumping Castle and (of course), enjoy the amazing array of food on offer.
