Arts festival ROAM to light up Geelong's streets in October
A giant roaming falcon and digital botanical gardens will transform Geelong's streets as hundreds of artists prepare to launch an exciting new festival next month.
Art installations and performances will light up Geelong’s streets as part of a new festival next month.
ROAM Geelong is expected to bring hundreds of artists and more than 20,000 people to the city’s streets on October 11.
The inaugural event showcases acclaimed artists alongside emerging talent, with more than 60 per cent of participants from Greater Geelong.
It comes as the future of White Night in Geelong is unknown, with the event last held in 2022.
White Night, a performance and light festival, was first held in 2018, with the Covid-19 pandemic forcing events to be postponed in 2020 and 2021.
The most recent iteration in Geelong saw more than 93,000 people – the festival’s “biggest regional crowd” – descend on Geelong’s CBD.
City of Greater Geelong’s creative city co-ordinator and festival director Tracey Lea-Smith
said the event would fill a “gap in signature arts events for our community and artists”. “ROAM Geelong answers that call, providing a large-scale, participatory celebration that showcases local talent and invites the community to come together in creative discovery,” she said.
ROAM’s diverse program brings together performances and light installations across Geelong’s cultural precinct.
Johnstone Park will come alive with Tomorrow Blooms – a fusion of art, nature and technology by Superficial Studio’s Andrew Kupresanin and Belinda Chen creating a digital botanical experience.
Music will be performed in the park’s rotunda, with other hands-on creative activities available.
A giant falcon will be a centrepiece of the festival and will roam through the park and surrounding streets, accompanied by light shows and soundscapes.
Geelong’s Platform Arts will transform the streets into a living dance floor with After Walter Hopps Remix, and Dr Anindita Banerjee’s Arranged Marriage will perform Bollywood beats, costumes and satire throughout the evening in Little Malop St.
Other performances include a collaboration between Maori and First Nations people at the Geelong Arts Centre and a bush-dyed fabric installation at the Gordon Gallery.
City of Greater Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj said the event would transform the city’s arts and cultural precinct into a “creative playground”.
“We’re thrilled to bring acclaimed performers and local voices together – showcasing the incredible depth of talent in Greater Geelong for all the world to see,” he said.
Mr Kontelj said the event was expected to drive significant tourism to the region.
The event, presented the City of Greater Geelong and supported by Visit Victoria’s Regional Events Fund, will run across the CBD from 4pm-10pm.
Originally published as Arts festival ROAM to light up Geelong's streets in October
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