Honk Oz!
Wollongong's free festival celebrating street musicians, brass bands and community jam sessions is finally returning to its usual place of the middle of summer.
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Honk! Oz will bring together professional and amateur musicians from far and wide for a mix of free performances and workshops (for adults and kids) on Saturday January 14.
"We will have many bands performing around the Arts Precinct and Town Hall so come along and fill your mind with some great street sounds," organisers said.
Bundanon Siteworks
Free, drop-in workshops inside the Art Museum, presented as part of Bundanon's wider Siteworks 2022: From a deep valley program.
Soak up a bit of artistic culture from 11am to 3pm on Saturdays January 14 and 28, plus February 25.
- WEATHER SCULPTURES 11am-2pm, Mordant Library verandah(Sessions will be on the hour) Experiment with found materials to create a sculpture that responds to and interacts with the weather. Investigate kinetic interactions with wind, exploitation of shadows, rain shelters or the gathering/direction of running water. The workshop can be experienced individually or in small groups.
- PAPER SEEDS 11am-2pm, under the Bridge(Sessions will be on the hour) Art as action! Explore materiality and transformation through the creation of your own seed paper, then join our afternoon planting session at roving sites across Bundanon.
- DRAWING STATION 11am-2pm, Boyd Education Centre Forecourt The Drawing Station captures our innermost feelings and uses abstract mark-making to explore an internal 'weather report'. Learners choose naturally-derived inks and pigments gathered from around the site and make experimental paints from raw materials, indicative of the weather and seasons.
- PLANTING POETRY 2-3pm, Brown Shed planting zone. Care for Country through the planting of native species as you learn about endemic plants and concepts of regeneration.
Symphony by the Sea
Shellharbour City Council host a free twilight concert this January 26 (Australia Day) at Reddall Reserve, featuring the Sydney Youth Orchestra.
The evening will commence with Gumarraa dance performances and music showcasing Australia's rich Indigenous culture.
The twilight concert will run from 6pm to 8pm and is an alcohol-free event, suitable for all ages.
Full Moon Drumming
It there's a side of you that's a little bit hippie, or you just love coming together with community (fire twirlers and families included), check this out at North Wollongong Beach on Friday January 6 from 8pm-ish.
"We are up to about fourteen years of these beautiful get-togethers and I'm ready for a great summer of sharing music, meeting people, and gawking at the moon as our fire twirling friends weave their magic through the night sky," organisers have said.
It's free and open to all.
"Yes, the start time says 8.00pm... think of this as a loose indicator of variables and parameters, the event may kick off early, it may not really start kicking and swinging till late," organisers said.
"If you get there and it's not happening, release your inner pied-piper and we will all come! This all happens at North Beach... drive along Cliff Road to North Wollongong Surf Club (the nearest cross street is Blacket Street) then walk to the southern side of the Surf Club, just past Diggies Cafe and in between there and the Bathers Pavilion peeps will hopefully be there already having fun on the grass area. Be safe, have fun and leave no rubbish."
Other LOW COST things to do ...
Gumaraa Aboriginal Cultural Day
The picturesque Killalea reserve at Shell Cove will host a raft of cultural activities and fun on Saturday January 21 from 10am to 2pm.
Family of four (two adults, two children) is $90, otherwise adults $35, child 3-14 is $10, and under age three are free.
- Traditional Smoking: A traditional smoking ceremony is a traditional Aboriginal custom, which involves burning native plants to produce smoke. The smoke cleanses the area and wards off bad spirits from the people and the land.
- Welcome Ceremony: Welcome to country is permission for a person from a different area to either pass or enter through country- performed before speeches or events as respect to our traditional owners.
- Bushtucker Walk: Their bush-tucker walk teaches you all about different native plants and how they can be prepared, eaten and made for medical purposes.
- Artifacts and Weaponry talks: Learn about how and why they were used traditionally. Most artifacts were multi-purpose and could be used for a variety of different reasons and occupation.
- Traditional Dance: Aboriginal dance consists of the types of animals that were imitated and why we imitate them, the songs their ancestors sang and why they sang them, and storytelling about how their ancestors used these tools.
- Boomerang and Spear Throwing: Come and test your skills at throwing traditional Aboriginal weaponry. For example, a boomerang and spear.
Included is a BBQ lunch provided, Culture awareness, Gaining new skills and knowledge.
Bookings essential- Enquire through Facebook or Instagram
Kiama Show
The Kiama Show will celebrate 175 years in 2023, with the fun running at the local showground (alongside Surf Beach) from January 17 to 28.
It brings together business, agriculture and the community and includes traditional agricultural events with cattle, horses, showjumping, and wood chopping, the pet show, a wonderful array of over 2000 pavilion exhibits and a good selection of food venues also provided on-site.
Show society members attend for free (single memberships start at $20 for adults and $10 concession; family memberships start at $40). General admission at the gate.
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Desiree Savage
At the helm of Australia's premier publication for people aged over 55, covering hard hitting issues, travel, lifestyle and entertainment. Got a hot tip? Email me - edit@TheSenior.com.au
At the helm of Australia's premier publication for people aged over 55, covering hard hitting issues, travel, lifestyle and entertainment. Got a hot tip? Email me - edit@TheSenior.com.au
