City of Newcastle’s flagship arts festival New Annual will return for its fifth edition in September, showcasing local people, places and performances alongside some of the best theatre, art and music from Australia and overseas. There’s plenty of fun for families to enjoy with lots of free events and activities.
Familiar landscapes including Camp Shortland, Nobbys Beach and The Station will be temporarily transformed into unexpected hubs of art and culture, while audiences will be invited to Meet Me at the Baths and SOAK up unique outdoor theatre and live music experiences at the iconic Newcastle Ocean Baths.
First Night Art Party
New Annual kicks off with a free night of music, movement and art on Laman Street, featuring high-energy pop sets from Haiku Hands, Kira Puru and Devaura, roving performances, and stunning art projections. Haiku Hands are festival favourites for their wild choreography and chaotic live shows – praised as part Scissor Sisters, Azelia Banks, Bjork and Warhol by British Vogue.
For one night only, Newcastle Art Gallery’s façade become a canvas for shared storytelling. Celebrating new commissions by First Nations artists, this unique experience showcases projected animations co-created by Art Thinking with local children — lighting up the building with community, culture and creativity. This is a street party you won’t want to miss!
Date: Friday 26 September
Time: 5pm – 9pm
Cost: Free
Location: Laman Street in front of Newcastle Art Gallery and Library
Website
Public Art Trail
People of all ages can enjoy the Public Art Trail. It’s a self-guided art trail where you can experience vibrant, surprising and immersive art along the Newcastle Foreshore and in shipping containers near Nobbys Beach and Camp Shortland. It runs from 27 September to 5 October.
Hero works include:
Argo Escargot with Jen Denzin – where you’ll dive into the strange and beautiful themes of lost cargo (a shipping container which falls off the Pasha Bulker), ocean dreams, absurd tales, and creatures of the deep.
Mini Putt Putt – Rosie Deacon x Jen Denzin – This art installation putt putt mini-golf course will tickle your fancy with fantastical themed holes ranging from underwater coral floral to kitsch koalas.
Bio Assembly – An immersive exhibition that brings together found sounds and everyday materials to reflect on our relationship to the environment.
Karla Dickens: Locked On – Part homage, part rallying cry, Locked On merges works from Dickens’ extensive repertoire and embodies both a statement on our volatile climate situation and an urgent call to action.
Anchor: Heidi Axelsen & Hugo Moline – Textures, reflections and sounds from the surrounding landscape come together into a shipping container repurposed into an inhabitable camera obscura.
Listen to a Starfish: Diana Chester & Danien Ricketson – Step into another world – lie down, close your eyes and listen to a starfish. Using field recordings from Newcastle’s shore and rock pools, this sensory sound installation will help you hear and feel our beloved coastline.
The Bathers outdoor photography exhibition can be discovered amid the cozzies and concrete of Newcastle’s historic ocean baths. Tales of mermaids and moon bows, skinny dips and first kisses – formative moments made at the Baths from those who hold this special place close to their heart.
Date: 27 September to 5 October
Cost: Free
Location: Newcastle Foreshore
Website
Soak
SOAK: Live at the Baths is a series of sunset music performances at the iconic Newcastle Ocean Baths during New Annual. Over the course of five special nights, it’ll become home to an array of local and globally renowned music talent. For one beautiful Saturday night on 4 Oct, we’ll dance as the sun goes down! Legendary local DJ jayteehazard joins DJ GNGR in the most unique pool party you’ll ever see, while you shake off the winter and welcome the coming summer at Newcastle’s iconic Ocean Baths.
Date: Saturday 27 September, Sunday 28 September, Thursday 2 October, Friday 3 October and Saturday 4 October
Time: 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Cost: Free
Location: Newcastle Ocean Baths
Website
Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer
A whimsical, multi-award-winning, one-man, micro-epic puppet show. Meet Alvin Sputnik and be changed forever by this masterful story. Family storytelling at its best, perfect for ages 10+. This show has toured the world and won hearts and many fans through its joyous and poignant storytelling.
Date: Wednesday 1 & Thursday 2 October
Time: 2pm or 7pm
Cost: $18 for children, $25 for adults
Location: McIntyre Theatrette, Newcastle Museum
Website
Night Night: The Last Great Hunt
Go on an extraordinary journey of life, death and other dimensions with multi-award winning theatre company The Last Great Hunt as they create a heartwarming cinematic adventure on stage with animation and film. Universal storytelling at its best.
Travel beyond the limits of our reality with a Wes Anderson style theatrical film, crafted live on stage. Blending puppets, animation and DIY digital magic, witness the onscreen story while experiencing the behind-the-scenes artistry in a cinematically playful, transcendent adventure. Recommended for kids 13+.
Date: Friday 3 October & Saturday 4 October
Time: 3pm or 7pm
Cost: $18 for children, $25 for adults
Location: McIntyre Theatrette, Newcastle Museum
Website
Global Gathering
Celebrate the heart and soul of our community at this free, family-friendly event on Beaumont Street in Hamilton. Join hosts Benjamin Law and Jennifer Wong for one big community party, with two stages for food demonstrations, live music, dance, and performances by Paco Lara, Minangay Dreaming and Samoan Dance.
Fans of MasterChef Australia will delight in live cooking demonstrations from previous contestants, including social media darling Brendan Pang, Cake Boi’s Reece Hignell, Good Food columnist Emelia Jackson and Novocastrian Depinder Chhibber.
Expect world music from across the globe, food trucks to tempt the taste buds, and dance, food and cultural workshops.
Date: Saturday 4 October
Time: 2pm – 9pm
Cost: Free
Location: Beaumont Street in Hamilton
Website