Rippleside Park will once again host a free family fun day on January 26 as City Hall puts finishing touches on cultural events

Geelong is set for a bumper Australia Day long weekend, with the Festival of Sails and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race coming to town, while organisers of one community event say politics won’t be at play.

There’ll again be rides aplenty at the Australia Day family fun day at Rippleside Park. Picture: Mark Wilson.

The organisers of Geelong’s largest Australia Day community event have promised to “keep politics out of it” as debate rages about whether January 26 should be a national celebration or day of solemn reflection.

The Aboriginal flag will be raised at the family fun day at Rippleside Park, but Geelong Australia Day Committee president Colin Anderson said this was to acknowledge the traditional owners, rather than being a political statement.

The Australian flag will be raised at 1pm.

“We’ve always kept politics out of it,” Mr Anderson said of the event’s more than 60-year history.

“It is a celebration of Australian people and our future, and that’s how we’ve kept it … we don’t want the politics involved at all.”

Stilt walkers at last year’s Australia Day family fun day at Rippleside Park. Picture: Mark Wilson.

While Geelong council has provided $35,000 funding for the event, it does not have a role in its operation.

It is instead focused on the development and delivery of “formalised First Nations Peoples acknowledgment and cultural events” across Geelong.

This includes an “acknowledgment, recognition and truth-telling ceremony” at Johnstone Park, as well as the ceremonial raising of the Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags at City Hall.

A spokesman said details were still being finalised.

In May last year, Geelong council voted to cease reference to Australia Day, opting instead to call it “January 26”.

As part of the policy shift, citizenship ceremonies will no longer be held on Australia Day – this year’s ceremony is scheduled for January 29.

The free Rippleside Park event kicks off at 11am and will feature an array of family-friendly activities.

“The whole northern edge of the park will be free rides for the kids, then there’s the chance for them to jump in the back of a fire truck or police car, they love that,” Mr Anderson said.

An estimated 10,000 people will attend the event over the course of the day.

The Festival of Sails and “family ride” element of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race will also take place on January 26.

Held over multiple days, these two events last year generated a combined economic benefit to the region in excess of $22m, according to council documents.

Forming part of the Festival of Sails’ program, a fireworks display will be held at the Geelong waterfront at 9.30pm.

Meanwhile, supermarket giant Woolworths has confirmed it won’t sell any Australia Day merchandise this year.

“There has been a gradual decline in demand for Australia Day merchandise from our stores over recent years,” a spokesman said it a statement.

“At the same time there’s been broader discussion about January 26 and what it means to different parts of the community.”

A poll conducted last year by Roy Morgan Research found 64 per cent of respondents supported January 26 being known as “Australia Day”, compared to 36 per cent who said it should be known as “Invasion Day”.

Protest marches opposing Australia Day are now commonplace on January 26.

Originally published as Rippleside Park will once again host a free family fun day on January 26 as City Hall puts finishing touches on cultural events