One of the Illawarra’s best kept secrets is that it is home to a community of acclaimed Australian writers, and is especially popular with poets.

Join our most exciting and contemporary poets for an afternoon of challenge and contemplation … call into the gallery for half an hour of amusing poetry or come for the whole afternoon and experience the amazing insight of some of Australia’s and the Illawarra’s most talented poets and authors.

Program
12noon Welcome to Country– Aunty Barbara Nicholson
12.10 Deborah Westbury launches Elizabeth Hodgson’s book Skin Painting (UQP)
1.00pm Peter Skrzynecki, Susan Hampton
1.30pm Deborah Westbury, Aunty Barbara Nicholson
2.00pm Judith Beveridge, Merlinda Bobis
2.30pm John Tranter, Chris Mansell
3.00pm Bravo Child, Tug Dumbly
3.30pm Alise Blayney, Joanne Burns
4.00pm Dorothy Porter

[more info]

Day: Sat Oct 11th
Time:  11am – 5pm
Venue : Wollongong City Gallery
Tickets:FREE

STREET ARTS DAY

STREET ARTS DAY/CIRCUS

The streets are alive with weird and wonderful characters roaming Crown Street Mall and MacCabe Park. They take wild flights of fancy inspired by this year Viva la Gong’s theme Flight.

• Icarus’s Roos are let loose and can be found bouncing around.
• Let the wacky airline hostess’s of Oz Star airlines take you on a joy flight of circus antics.
• Circus Wow’s stilt walking aviators attempt to take flight.
• Heidi’s Hodeo mosies back into town and with her horse’n around street theatre tricks.
• Pog Circus with their exciting blend of juggling, unicycling, stiltwalking, clowning and amazing feats of stupidity.
• Circus Solaris build the wonderfully weird flying machines and attempt to launch themselves into the sky!
• A host of wonder, flight inspired street theatre acts including:

Phoenix Theatre’s Madcaps in “Birdbrain”
University of Wollongong 1st Year Theatre Students
The “Defective Angels” by John Thorpe and Wollongong Youth Centre.

• As well some of the best street theatre acts from around the country.

OUTDOOR AERIAL RIG
Watch performers take flight on the outdoor aerial rig.
Hosted by the wonderfully weird Birdman and featuring the fabulous Natalie Harris from Cirque du Soleil and Wollongong’s Circus Monoxide stars Jane Davis and Violet …

The aerial rig will be up and live with performances by the region's emerging circus artists,  Featuring the talented young aerialists from Circus Monoxide's Half High Program, the wonderful women of Circus WOW, and a whole host of terrific performers from the Illawarra and beyond. 

Day: Sat 11 Oct
Time: 10am – 4pm
Venue: Crown Street Mall and Circus Monoxide Big Top
Tickets: FREE

Sunday at the Festival Hub in MacCabe Park

Come and join us for a day of fabulous music that reflects the cultural richness and talent in our community.

From 10.30am-4.00pm the outdoor stage in MacCabe Park will present a vibrant program of bands. A wide range of different food stalls will give everyone a great choice of exotic and tasty Sunday lunch options. Or just bring along a picnic and enjoy the spectacle.

Free Orchestral Concert in the Big Top 11am

The Bluescope Steel Youth Orchestra presents the famous story by Hans Christian Anderson,  The Wild Swans,  set to an engaging musical score with narration by Peter Riley, BREAKFAST presenter 97.3ABC Illawarra. These talented  local musicians have been awarded two National Orchestral Awards. August 2006 and the prestigious National Youth Orchestral Award for 2005. Conductor: Nigel Edwards and Guest Soprano soloist Mina Kanaridis An enchanting musical experience! Be there early to be sure of a seat! Time:  11am – 12noon Venue: Outdoor Stage MacCabe Park Tickets: FREE

The Multicultural Feast

Program for the day
Outdoor Stage MacCabe Park, all events FREE

Sahaja Yoga
The Bluescope Steel Youth Orchestra
Wollongong Conservatorium Jazz Orchestra
Wadi Wadi Mixed Tribe
Big Snore Hammers
Zorba’s Kefi Band
Monsieur Camenbert

Kite Flying All Day

Day: Sun 12 Oct
Time: 10:30am – 4pm
Venue: Outdoor Stage MacCabe Park
Tickets: FREE