Thank you, Brisbane—Lifeline Bookfest organisers express gratitude for huge community turnout
Lifeline’s January Brisbane Bookfest is over for another summer, with the event welcoming tens of thousands of book enthusiasts of all ages across nine days.
Taking place at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, final book purchases were made at 6pm on Sunday, 21st January, followed by a massive round of applause for the volunteers.
On behalf of Lifeline Retail Queensland, General Manager Jamie Mackay expressed his gratitude to everyone who came out to support the event and cause.
“Thank you not just to the Brisbane community, but also to those that travelled from afar to attend the January 2024 Bookfest,” Mr Mackay said.
“From those who donated books, to those who purchased books—thank you. We hope you get through all the books and we can’t wait to welcome you back.”
Bookfest is Lifeline Queensland’s biggest fundraising event of the year, with book purchases helping to support Lifeline's 24/7 Crisis Support & Suicide Prevention Services.
“To see such a huge turnout for the event this year has been incredibly heartwarming. Supporting Bookfest is directly supporting Lifeline’s critical work, helping to ensure someone will be on the end of the line when they are needed most.”
The January 2024 Brisbane Bookfest has been a huge success, as highlighted below:
- Approximately 47,000 book lovers visited
- Over 41,500 transactions and over 300,00 items sold
- 570 volunteers filling 1,126 shifts
Mr Mackay said the massive Brisbane Bookfest couldn’t take place without the large number of passionate volunteers and team members who donate their time to ensure the event runs smoothly.
“We couldn’t put on such a mammoth event without the support of all our volunteers and team members—they are the backbone of the Brisbane Bookfest,” she said.
“A huge thanks to all those who volunteered their time this Bookfest—whether it was pricing books, setting up the event, greeting or serving attendees—thank you!”
In addition to the more than 1.2 million books, games, puzzles, CDs and DVDs that were up for grabs, this January Bookfest saw the recently introduced ‘Comicfest’ section return bigger and better than before, with 25,000 comics, video games, clothing and more up for grabs.
“The Comicfest area was so well received and we can’t wait to keep growing this aspect of Bookfest,” Mr Mackay said.
A brand-new component to this Bookfest was The ABC Brisbane Radio Book Lounge, providing a dedicated space for customers to chill out with their books and meet some of the ABC presenters.
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For more information, please contact: Lauren Barrett
Email | 0423 652 588
About Bookfest:
The Lifeline Bookfest Brisbane is a bi-annual second-hand book sale, with funds raised going toward our 24-hour 13 11 14 Lifeline Crisis Support Line. Find out more here.