Set in the beautiful historic town at the foothills of the Otways, the Birregurra Festival and Art Show – now entering adulthood and celebrating the big two-zero – continues to support the community, with all money raised going straight back into it and becoming one of the state’s ‘must-visits’ with fifteen thousand people expected to attend this year.
With high-quality musicians from the area and further afield, delectable food and wine from the Otways region and a smorgasbord market of arts, crafts, and local products over the weekend, this festival has celebrating community life at the heart of it – and with the celebration of two decades, the team have truly upped the ante with 2019 looking to be the best one yet.
The standout quality this year is again the diverse bunch of talented performers who will entertain the crowds throughout the weekend. In what’s set to be a music-lovers treat, the festival will see more than 20 great live music acts across three stages including the likes of space-pop upcomers Zoe Fox and the Rocket Clocks, country-folk artists Cookie Baker and Kerryn Fields, Splendour in the Grass alumni Ben Whiting, and Geelong’s own funk rockers The Run.
You’ll also catch the heart beating rhythms of funk-jazz virtuosos The Senegambian Jazz Band as well as Lucy and the Night Sky, Colac lads The Attics, OMM Community Choir and Festival favourites the Mik Maks who have been wowing their young audiences all over the country with their catchy country-rock tunes. That’s barely scraping the surface of the musical talent to grace the stages this year. Making the most of all the hidden musical gems the region has to offer, the team has put together a diverse live music line-up that rivals many of its regional and even some of its metropolitan counterparts.
It’s not just the music that is drawing the crowds. Each year, the main street transforms into a vibrant market place selling all sorts of goodies from handcrafts to organic produce and loads of garden plants and displays. You’ll find everything from temporary tattoos, juggling equipment, books, beads, and chains, to jewelry, candles, doggie treats, leather goods, and everything in between. There’s also plenty for the kids to do this year with a reptile show, laser tag and a kids circus show, as well annual Festival favourites such as the art show, rock’n’roll dancers, vintage cars, dog jump, animal nursery, kids games fair, cow pat lotto and the wood chop.
Celebrating two decades this year, the team are shaking things up with a new stage-side bar as well as a youth quarter in The Yards next to Birregurra Hall in partnership with FreeZA which will see Urban street artist Damian Arena painting a mural designed by Birregurra students and a youth stage that will feature local FReeZA talent playing alongside Melbourne hip hop artist Nomad, young multi-instrumentalist Daniel Aaron, folk-funk experimentalist Torii, among others. How good is that?!
It’s the Birregurra Art Show however which will mark the official start of the festival with a gala event held on Friday 11 October. The art show is one of the most prestigious in the country regionally regularly attracts over 300 high-quality artworks from around the country which will be on display in the Birregurra Hall and provides visitors the perfect opportunity to start or add to their own original art collection.
They say a gold coin doesn’t get you all that much in life anymore, but in the Birregurra Festival and Art Show world it gains you access to the whole weekend of entertainment.
The Birregurra Festival and Art Show in on the second weekend of October (12 & 13). Check out all the details at www.birregurrafestival.com/