New virtual festival is one of a KIND

The #KIND20 Festival features 35 up-and-coming Australian acts  

Australia has lurched from crisis to crisis in 2020, but an upcoming virtual festival hopes to lift people’s spirits by spreading kindness and encouraging social empathy at a time when it’s needed most. 

The #KIND20 Festival is a virtual Facebook event which features an eclectic mix of live music from 35 artists, including ARIA-nominated country musician Bill Chambers, the voice of Australian “Siri” Karen Jacobsen, and a rising star in 10-year-old Noah Robertson.

This festival is part of the global #KIND20 campaign, started by not-for-profit tuff.earth in May amid the COVID-19 crisis. It aims to connect Australians across the country and encourage kindness in the community.

The campaign invites people to post photos and videos on social media using the hashtag #KIND20 to share what kindness means to them, in hopes of encouraging others to do likewise.

Here’s what kindness means to the youth of today – “To always help others in need and putting others before yourself ” #KIND20⠀
⠀#InternationalYouthDay #Youth #WorldYouth #Kindness #KindnessMatters #BeKind #BePositive #SchoolLife #Passionate #Help #HelpOthers pic.twitter.com/psqCJE4uUg

— KIND20 (@tuff_earth) August 11, 2020

Co-founder of tuff.earth Anna Prior said the event would hopefully spread kindness and joy at a time when it was desperately needed. 

“We started the #KIND20 campaign to spread worldwide kindness and encourage social empathy at a time when many are facing challenges. We are thrilled to see the movement gathering momentum in Australia,” Prior said. 

“The festival will no doubt bring joy to many and help remind Aussies that small acts of kindness can go a long way, especially in today’s climate.” 

Festival curator Gavin Butlin, who is also the founder of the Airlie Beach Music Festival, said music had the power to uplift and spread joy, which meant holding a festival to share the unifying message of #KIND20 felt right. 

“Spreading kindness feels more important now than ever before and we hope those tuning into the festival enjoy the awesome acts we have lined up and also get involved in the campaign,” Butlin said. 

The event will be held on 23 August from 2pm to 6pm AEST on the Kind20 Facebook page.