As New Annual rolls out its fourth season of creative programming, set to run from September 27 to October 6, the intention has become more clear than ever. Login or signup to continue reading It's not just about entertainment. It's about increasing our knowledge, pushing our own perceptions.
And feeding the hunger in our artistic community to improve their practice. "This year we've curated our most ambitious program yet, focusing on finding diverse voices and creating opportunities for community involvement," New Annual senior curator and producer Adrian Burnett says. "Our aim is to deliver a festival that is a living, breathing ecosystem of creativity that reflects the dynamic spirit of Newcastle.
" Newcastle lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes was even more direct in her opening statement at the festival launch on Thursday. "Council had a very important role to play in ensuring local artists had the opportunity to be on stage with national and international artists, all within the same event," she said. Nelmes says the city has invested $3 million in the festival since launching in 2021.
Of course one of the goals is to increase visitation to the city, but it's also succeeded in providing pay cheques for local artists across a wide spectrum. Of course, partners like the University of Newcastle, Create NSW, Transport for NSW and Multicultural NSW help pay the bills. As Burnett says, without those other funding organisations "a festival of this scale and ambition would not be possible.