New Annual Returns to our Streets, Stages and Ocean Baths!
- Liane Morris
- 14 hours ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 8 hours ago
City of Newcastle's flagship arts festival, New Annual Festival, now in its fifth year, will take over the streets, stages and iconic landmarks of our city for ten days of art, music and ideas from 26 September to 5 October. It will showcase local people, places and performances alongside some of the best theatre, art and music from Australia and overseas.
With a mission to raise the awareness of Newcastle as a culturally creative city both nationally and internationally, the festival is now hitting its stride with a new Festival Director at the helm. Tory Loudon was appointed as the New Annual Festival Director in January of this year and has moved to Newcastle to steer the festival for the next three years. Ms Loudon joins New Annual on the back of an impressive 20-year career in the arts, media, and creative industries, including senior roles at leading institutions including Sydney Opera House, Vivid Sydney, Carriageworks, Creative Australia, The Guardian, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Australian Dance Theatre, and most recently as the Head of Public Programs and Engagement at the Sydney Theatre Company. It says something about the festival and its reputation that it was able to attract a director of such outstanding calibre, willing to invest three years of her life into the next evolution of the festival and the cultural landscape of our city. And she’s very excited about it.
“I’ve been coming to Newcastle since I was born on holidays with my family,” said Ms Loudon.
“And I’ve been watching New Annual over the past four years with interest. I already had an idea of the artists and the performing arts scene here, and I’m thrilled to be working with such talent. Newcastle really does have a lot of creatives living here.
“I’ve worked at some of Australia’s biggest cultural institutions, and I’ve programmed huge multi-artform festivals. It’s an amazing job, but it’s a big responsibility, and I found that I was missing the close connection to the artists. My career began as an independent producer, managing artists and musicians, and New Annual gives me an opportunity to return to my grassroots, creating art from scratch, commissioning new works, connecting with the community and curating the stories of our place in the world.
“Supporting Newcastle's creative community has been one of the real strengths of New Annual since it was established by City of Newcastle in 2021. I'm proud to continue this tradition in 2025, with over 70% of this year's program showcasing Newcastle’s artistic community. We have commissioned new works from Newcastle artists this year, focusing on telling Newcastle stories in locations that are uniquely designed or chosen for a particular artwork or performance.
"This year's festival invites people to come and play, see their city differently and discover something new."
"It was important to create that sense of a festival hub by taking art to where people are already, to the streets, parks and even the Baths of Newcastle. I look forward to seeing you there."
Familiar landscapes, including Camp Shortland, Nobbys Beach and The Station, will be temporarily transformed into unexpected hubs of art and culture, while audiences will be invited to Meet Me at the Baths and SOAK up unique outdoor theatre and live music experiences at the iconic Newcastle Ocean Baths.
The 2025 program features 23 signature events that span music, theatre, dance, visual arts, and public art. More than 60% of the events are free and family-friendly.
The 2025 program features 23 signature events that span music, theatre, dance, visual arts, and public art. More than 60% of the events are free and family-friendly.
Councillor Jenny Barrie, Chair of City of Newcastle's Community and Culture Strategic Advisory Committee, said New Annual is a festival for the entire community.
"City of Newcastle is proud to support and invest in arts and cultural opportunities, community pride and local identity through events such as New Annual," Cr Barrie said.
"With a predominance of free and low-cost events, the festival provides a valuable way to make art and culture accessible to more people within our community, while also acting as a drawcard for visitors from across our region and beyond."
Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp said events such as New Annual help celebrate the vibrant cultural diversity of local communities while also driving economic growth.
“New Annual continues to strengthen Newcastle’s position as a centre for art, supporting around 1,500 visiting and local artists and attracting more than 121,500 visitors to the city during its first four years," Mr Crakanthorp said.
New Annual is proudly funded 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.
The festival will kick off on 26 September with a vibrant First Night Art Party in Laman Street, celebrating the community's first glimpse of the expanded Newcastle Art Gallery. It’s a free night of music, movement and art, featuring high-energy sets from Haiku Hands, Kira Puru and Devaura, roving performances, and stunning art projections. The Newcastle Art Gallery's façade becomes a canvas for shared storytelling. Celebrating new commissions by First Nations artists, this one-night-only experience showcases projected animations co-created by Art Thinking with local children, lighting up the building with community, culture, and creativity. It’s a street party with something to delight everyone from 5pm to 9pm.
Perhaps no other events epitomise the intent and scope of the festival more than those scheduled to take place at the Newcastle Ocean Baths. Leading the way is local independent theatre company Whale Chorus with their new work, commissioned by the festival, Meet Me at the Baths. Written by Ang Collins and directed by Janie Gibson, the piece is site-specific and has been inspired by the collected stories of the Newcastle community as they relate to the Baths. Local stories of love, loss, healing and change sparkle against the stunning backdrop of the Baths.
“We began the process by collecting the stories of the locals who use the Baths,” said Janie Gibson.
“We were overwhelmed by the response. The stories we were told are beautiful, touching, wacky, and full of big life moments. There were so many that we could write a novel! The Baths are a truly special place for many people. We took their stories and used them to inspire a work of fiction, a new play that journeys through the spectrum of human experience, set in our own iconic landmark of the Newcastle Ocean Baths.”
Audiences will sit on the concrete bleachers that the Baths are known for and don headphones so that they can become immersed in the stories and gorgeous live soundscapes. The ensemble of four actors will seem part of the audience at first before they dive deep into serendipitous moments, nostalgic memories and hilarious hijinks in a tidal wave of life’s big changes.
“We feel incredibly lucky to be a part of the festival,” said Janie.
“We’re very happy to have been included. We want to give this show back to the community. Their stories changed us in the process of developing this work, and we hope that others will view this beloved space with new eyes as a result, feeling more connected to the space and one another. It’s a show for everyone aged 10+ and will run every day of the festival at 11am and 2pm. It’s fully accessible and designed so that the space can continue to be used by the general public. Bring your cozzies for a swim before or after the show!”
Complementing this new play is an outdoor photography exhibition by Lee Illfield and Edwina Richards. The Bathers: Magical Memories features the people and stories of the Newcastle Ocean Baths. Tales of mermaids and moonbows, skinny dips and first kisses, the exhibition explores ‘magical memory’ and reimagines these stories, half-remembered and wholly felt through the lenses of these two unique Novacastrian photographers. It was while enjoying a swim at Newcastle Ocean Baths at sunset that Festival Director Tory Loudon was inspired to program SOAK: Live at the Baths.
“I swim at the Baths a lot,” said Ms Loudon.
“I looked out across the water as the sun was setting and thought what a magical place this would be to hear live music as the people of the community enjoy this special public place.”
SOAK: Live at the Baths is five nights of sunset music performances at the Newcastle Ocean Baths curated by local musician and manager Tim Levinson (Urthboy and Elefant Traks) and featuring local and globally renowned music talent including post punk quintet Dust, globally acclaimed pop violinist Joel Sunny, virtuoso beatboxer Tom Thum, with Dobby and Freyja Garbett, breakout R&B/hip hop artists Boy Soda, A.Girl and Dean Brady + legendary local DJs Jayteehazard and GNGR.
The festival action can be found all across the city. There is a Public Art Trail that people of all ages can enjoy. It’s a self-guided art trail where you can experience vibrant, surprising and immersive art along the Newcastle Foreshore and in shipping containers near Nobbys Beach and Camp Shortland. Hero works include:
Argo Escargot, Jen Denzin - A cargo full of tall tales, lost histories and a healthy dose of the absurd, all housed in a shipping container at Camp Shortland.
Listen to a Starfish, Diana Chester and Damian Ricketson - Lie down, close your eyes and listen to field recordings from Newcastle's shore and rock pools in a sensory sound installation that will help you hear and feel our beloved coastline.
Anchor, Heidi Axelsen and Hugo Moline - Enter the camera obscura near Nobbys Beach and see the world differently. Flipping images of the world outside upside down – this is a playful take on perception.
Mini Putt Putt Golf, Rosie Deacon x Jen Denzin - Tee-off on a colourful and whimsical six-hole mini putt putt course, built especially for New Annual.
Newcastle Museum will feature familyfriendly programming, including Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer - a whimsical, multi-award-winning, one-person, micro-epic puppet show that has toured the world and won hearts and many fans through its joyous and poignant storytelling. Also at the Museum is Night Night, which allows guests to witness the creation of a heartwarming cinematic adventure on stage. Blending puppets, animation and DIY digital magic, witness the onscreen story while experiencing the behindthe-scenes artistry in a cinematically playful transcendent adventure. Both of these shows are presented by one of the best theatre companies in Australia, The Last Great Hunt (WA).
All the way from Ireland is the multiaward-winning Sunday's Child, an Irish theatre company run by Eva O'Connor and Hildegard Ryan. They’re bringing their show Chicken to University House. It’s billed as a one-woman show that is bonkers and unbelievably brilliant.
First Rhythms features First Nations composer and musician Adam Manning, who joins forces with the renowned contemporary ensemble Australian Art Orchestra for a performance that reimagines clapsticks, First Nations rhythms, and visual art to explore the living pulse of Country at the Harold Lobb Concert Hall at the Conservatorium of Music.
Lighting up Beaumont Street, Hamilton, with the sights, sounds and flavours of the world will be Global Gathering. Led by MCs Australian journalist, author and screenwriter Benjamin Law and Chinese Australian writer, comedian, and curator Jennifer Wong, the event will feature performances across two stages, including cooking demonstrations, family-friendly workshops, live music and dance. With so many of our public spaces being activated during the festival, it wouldn’t be right without the Spiegeltent taking pride of place in Civic Park. Step into the atmospheric Spiegeltent and surrender to the intoxicating world of La Ronde. At the centre of this heady cocktail of circus, live music and comedy will be groundbreaking headliners, world-class provocateurs and captivating raw energy direct from the European underground.
The complete New Annual program is now available online and is worth a detailed exploration. There is a plethora of events to discover and literally something for everyone. It's time to explore our creative city and the talented artists who call it home, and to immerse yourself in stories and connect with community in a new way. So much of it is free, family-friendly, fun, thought-provoking, moving and fascinating.
New Annual Festival Director, Tory Loudon, has delivered an event that Newcastle can be rightly proud of, featuring new works by local artists across all the art forms and programming national and international artists to inspire and connect us all. Tickets are on sale now. Explore the program at www.newannual.com.
