Audiences soak up exclusive performances as New Annual festival heads towards closing weekend
- intouch Magazine
- Oct 1
- 3 min read
Global social media sensation and pop violinist Joel Sunny will deliver an exclusive Australian performance at the Newcastle Ocean Baths tomorrow as part of City of Newcastle’s flagship arts festival.
The Baths have emerged as the city’s hottest new live music destination, attracting more than 4,000 visitors over the first two nights of New Annual’s unique free sunset concert series, SOAK.
New Annual Festival Director Tory Loudon said Novocastrians and visitors were embracing the opportunity to experience art in iconic local spaces and responding to the unique collaborations on offer.
“People are coming out in droves to soak up the atmosphere, soak up the setting and soak up the incredible talent on show during these live music sessions,” Ms Loudon said.
“This has never been done at the Ocean Baths before and I’ve been thrilled by the reception we’ve received for SOAK and the wider New Annual festival.
“This year’s program is opening up a range of experiences to people who might not usually engage with more traditional arts venues.
“We’re only halfway through the festival and there’s so much more to come, so I hope everyone jumps online to see what’s in store for the rest of this week and into the weekend.”
SOAK: Live at the Baths opened with Newcastle post-punk favourites DUST performing a spectacular set on a floating stage on Saturday.
It shifted gears the following night with a conservation-themed collaboration between world-renowned beatboxer, Tom Thum, Filipino and Murrawarri artist DOBBY and leading jazz artist Freyja Garbett.
It will kick up another notch tomorrow night when Joel Sunny turns the curved art deco stairs into his stage as part of his global tour. He will deliver his trademark classical compositions with a pop sensibility, which have helped him amass more than four million social media followers worldwide.
Friday night will be another first when four of Australia’s brightest R&B and hip-hop artists - A.Girl, Dean Brady, BOY SODA and Finbar Stuart - deliver an unmissable supergroup-style performance alongside a live band and string section.
The SOAK programming wraps up on Saturday night with the city’s most unique pool party soundtracked by legendary local DJ jaytee hazard alongside DJ GNGR, who is one of Australia's finest Afrobeats DJs.
SOAK is not the only free, family-friendly event to look forward to during the closing weekend of New Annual, with Global Gathering also offering a diverse line-up of music, dance, culture and food on Saturday 4 October.
Hamilton’s rich cultural history and cosmopolitan dining destination, Beaumont Street, will provide the perfect backdrop for Global Gathering’s community celebration, which runs from 2pm to 9pm.
MasterChef fan favourites including social media star Brendan Pang, Cake Boi’s Reece Hignell, Good Food columnist Emelia Jackson and Novocastrian Depinder Chhibber will add a culinary twist to the cultural feast, dishing up exclusive live cooking demonstrations on the food stage.
Adding extra spice to the program, the chefs will be interviewed live by acclaimed hosts Benjamin Law and Jennifer Wong. The duo will delve into each chef’s approach to food, their favourite ingredients and the personal family histories that inspired their passion for cooking.
Beyond the food, the main entertainment stage will showcase the rich diversity of Newcastle’s community, featuring flamenco guitarist Paco Lara, the storytelling movement of Minangay Dreaming, and the high-energy spectacle of Samoan Dance.
Audiences can also experience the powerful rhythms of ILE ILU, a collective of women drummers, horn players, and dancers from Sydney, the Central Coast, and Newcastle led by Marina Da Silva, and the genre-bending soundscapes of GabzaK & Dance of Worlds.
New Annual is proudly supported by the NSW Government in association with Transport for NSW Open Streets and Permit/Plug/Play Pilot programs, Multicultural NSW Stronger Together grant, Create NSW and the Destination NSW Regional Event Fund.
The University of Newcastle, Equip Multimedia and Newcastle Art Gallery are presenting partners of the 2025 event.
New Annual runs from 26 September until 5 October with 10 days of music, theatre, dance, visual arts and public art. More than 60% of the events are free and family friendly.
Visit https://newannual.com/ for the full program.
