On the 9thNovember the Black Gully Festival will be held in the parklands behind New England Art Museum in Armidale. This is the 9th festival, put on by a range of community groups, with the themes of Music, Art, Environment, Community. The heart of the festival is live music, with performances from 10am to 10pm on 3 stages. All of the music is by local performers and includes a wide range of musical styles with bands, soloists and small groups. The Music program is presented by The Musicians of Armidale whose members volunteer as festival performers. This year we are mixing some of our fantastic youth performers through the program.
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Supporting the music program is a range of other activities. A Makers Market features local artisans and foodies with an exciting array of wares. A variety of food stalls will feed the masses all day and night. This year for the first time the Festival will feature a dance space, coordinated by Suzie Grant from Bellydance Earth and Sky. This space will feature local dance groups performing dances from Salsa to Balinese to Bellydance. A highlight will be the communal rain dance that everyone can join in. This will be one year when we won’t mind if we get washed out!
The Slow Fashion tent is back, where you can bring clothes to swap for others. This activity is always popular with many people getting some great new fashion pieces while seeing someone else enjoying something they no longer had use for. Clothes, shoes, bags, accessories for both women and men feature at this stall. For the first time the Festival will feature a Fixit space, where people can bring items to be repaired or mended. Volunteers with skills will help you mend clothes, repair and maintain bikes, repair wooden items and glue things back together. After the festival the Fixit shop will continue in a shopfront in town.
The Environment theme also continues with displays from Armidale Tree Group, Southern New England Landcare, Sustainable Living Armidale, Armidale Regional Council and the exhibit of the finalists in the Northern Inland Regional Waste “Inspire Us” photography awards. A programme of sustainability-themed films will screen throughout the day.
The Black Gully Printmakers will have an exhibition and sale and people can try their hand at different types of printing. NERAM will be open all day with great exhibitions, artist talks and poetry readings. EcoArts Australis will be weaving willow shelters and sculptures on site.
The Black Gully Festival is a community-driven event so you never know what other activities and events are likely to pop up on the day. Circus Confabularium will be there to keep the kids busy learning to juggle, hoola hoop and balance and will have their Paper Moon photo booth operating.
Black Gully Festival is free and open to all ages. Festival costs are covered by our generous sponsors who are mostly local businesses and community groups including “Super-Mega” sponsors: Green Jelly, UNE Life, Sustainable Living Armidale and Southern New England Landcare and “Very Special” sponsors Phoenix Foundry and Regional Australia Bank. Many people volunteer their time or loan equipment to put this event together.
For more information look for Black Gully Festival on Facebook and Instagram.
