Wonderwalls to revitalise Port Kembla

It’s been responsible for livening laneways across Australia with more than 150 street murals since its inception. Now, after a brief hiatus, Wonderwalls Festival is set to celebrate its 10th anniversary in Port Kembla on November 18-20.

Established in Wollongong, Wonderwalls Festival is Australia’s largest and longest-running street art event and has brought together more than 100 internationally renowned large-scale muralists from across the country to create bespoke artworks since its inception in 2012.

Verb Syndicate, the organisation behind the festival, says Wollongong has experienced a 20 per cent increase in visitor numbers since last decade with large-scale street murals now sprinkled throughout the city, positioning Wollongong as one of the most concentrated public art regions in the southern hemisphere.

Hoping to revitalise Port Kembla in the same way, the three-day festival will feature a dozen artists from across Australia coming to Port Kembla this week to work on large-scale murals that will begin to take shape on the weekend. Participating artists will include Australia’s leading muralist duo Scott Nagy and Krimsone, acclaimed muralist Lisa King, and several Sydney-based and local newcomers.

There is more than street art in store this year, with Verb Syndicate partnering with local promoters Holy Pavlova to curate a two-day funk, soul and dance music program held on an outdoor festival stage in the Good Drop Liquor Emporium Carpark. Tickets to Friday and Saturday’s Smoke & Steel Block Party are selling fast, with headliners Haiku Hands and funk collective The Regime set to draw a crowd.

Kids are also encouraged to attend Wonderwalls Festival, with street art and mixed media workshops – as well as Virtual Reality painting held at The Foundery – available to children and teens aged nine to 16, covering the basics of aerosol application and screen printing.

For more information and to find tickets to the Smoke & Steel Block Party, visit our event page