Image: The Sydney seniors festival will begin on Friday. Photo: City of Sydney/Chris Southwood.
By DANIEL LO SURDO
The City of Sydney’s seniors festival will begin on Friday, with an array of activities and programs planned across the inner city to celebrate older adults and reconnect the community following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The festival will start on March 25 and continue until April 3, with art classes, free swimming and digital support all offered as part of a program that seeks to acknowledge the “contribution older people make to our community”.
Council-run swim centres across the city will be offering free use to visitors aged 60 and over during the festival, with the Juanita Nielsen Community Centre in Woolloomooloo also providing a week of free gym access and fitness classes to first-time senior visitors.
Other gentle exercise options can be found at Pyrmont Community Centre, where two free fitness sessions will be held as part of the festival, which will also include an afternoon tea following the class on March 30.
The City will also be taking its free digital support and training program to Potts Point and Redfern, as well as offering drop-in support for IT troubleshooting in Ultimo and Alexandria.
Additionally, paid dance classes will be offered to seniors, with styles including Zumba, Sh’Bam and Flamenco all on offer and catering to both the beginner and experienced dancers.
Seniors Festival focused on reconnecting this year
In Potts Point, acting classes will take place at the Reginald Murphy Community Centre, with the session being “specifically designed with older students in mind, so all levels of physical, mental and vocal capabilities are addressed”.
The City’s events come as part of the NSW Senior Festival, which this year is focused on “activities that will help connect us” following years of isolation and physically distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
