UPSURGE and HONK! Local three day arts festival

WCC media release: Wednesday 13 July 2022

UPSURGE, the creative festival that was originally postponed earlier in the year due to wet weather, is back!

Presented by Wollongong City Council and curated by Virginia Settre in a large pavilion style tent on the green between the gallery and the theatre, UPSURGE features award-winning visual arts, gifted artisans, and emerging local talent with a rich program of artist talks, Q&As, workshops, fashion and music.

From Friday 15 to Sunday 17 July, UPSURGE will take over the Arts Precinct on Burelli Street. The Arts Precinct will play host to 15 locally-based artists including Jordanian designer Gina Barjeel, First Nations artist Wanita Lowe, designer Katja Handt, internationally recognised weaver Haji Oh and award-winning artists Megan Seres, Greer Harris and Britt de Laat.

At the same time, HONK! Oz will be joining the fun with performances at the Arts Precinct to entertain visitors to Upsurge as well as Honk fans, from Friday evening to Saturday night.

Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said that UPSURGE, along with performances from HONK! Oz, would be a celebration of Wollongong’s fast-growing arts, culture and music communities.

“We’re pleased to see so many creative events return to the Wollongong CBD especially as UPSURGE was rained out by the recent wet weather,” Cr Bradbery said.

“UPSURGE in particular is shaping up to be a really one-of-its-kind, local event that shines the spotlight on some of our city’s best up-an-coming designers, artists and artisans. This is a great opportunity for people to see the hands-on creative process, speak to artisans about their crafts and support locals.”

UPSURGE is much more than an exhibition. This creative festival features a number of great workshops including carpet making demonstrations, discussions on ethical leather goods creation, a weaving workshop where participants will use their whole bodies to weave, to a conversation on how the idea of body and form inform creative practice.

For more information and the full program, visit our UPSURGE webpage.

“Located in the heart of the Wollongong CBD, the Wollongong Arts Precinct has previously been home to incredibly popular cultural events such as Spiegeltent and Comic Gong. This site will make a welcome home for this creative event,” Cr Bradbery said.

“It’s going to be an exciting weekend in the city centre with lots happening across the CBD as we continue to support its reactivation with music, food, art and more.

“There is no doubt that visitors to the CBD will be spoilt for choice during the UPSURGE weekend thanks to the fun, free community events. To help plan your weekend or your next outing, head to our Wollongong CBD website to check out all the events and activities on offer.”