Festival 2018 Gold Coast adds to Games experience with program reveal

F18GC Museum of the Moon - Luke JerramThe official launch of Festival 2018 has revealed a spectacular line-up of arts and cultural entertainment across 12 action-packed days from 4 – 15 April to celebrate and extend the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) beyond the stadiums for locals and visitors alike.

Welcoming more than 1,440 artists from 50 countries in a program featuring 35 world premieres and 15 Australian premieres, Festival 2018 Gold Coast multi-arts program features free entertainment with a range of more than 1,000 arts and cultural experiences including music, theatre, circus, dance, ideas, visual arts and film that will enthrall and provide something for everyone.

Festival 2018 Gold Coast has been curated by Co-Creative Directors Kate Fell and Yaron Lifschitz from internationally-renowned Circa Contemporary Circus along with Louise Bezzina, Artistic Director of Bleach* Festival who delivers more than 20 new works within the Festival 2018 program.

“A festival is a chance to create a new world- one that builds on the values and aspirations of your existing world but also addresses its challenges, redresses its inequalities and extends its triumphs,” said Festival 2018 Co-Creative Director Yaron Lifschitz.

“We programmed Festival 2018 Gold Coast based on three themes: Encounters in which we meet the world, Change in which we effect positive change in the world and Aspire in which we uplift and transform ourselves and those around us.”

Locals and visitors to the city will encounter the unexpected with roving performers to entertain outside of stadiums, interactive art installations and live outdoor performances spilling onto beaches and waterways in more than 28 places across the Gold Coast, including two main festival sites in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.

Broadbeach will have two distinct activated spaces, Kurrawa Park and Surf Parade, providing audiences with arts experiences and entertainment from 9am to late every day. Internationally-renowned Gold Coast musician Amy Shark is just one of the headliners on a stage dedicated to Queensland music talent, supported by a line-up of local music artists including Lastlings, Ella Fence and Eliza and The Delusionals.

Yothu Yindi and The Treaty Project will play a Queensland exclusive performance, with world music legend Susheela Raman and Ghana’s king of hip hop M.anifest amongst others performing on the Surfers Paradise Main Stage.

“It’s both exciting and surreal to have the opportunity to perform as part of GC2018 celebrations at Festival 2018,” said Ms Shark. “GC2018 is such a huge moment for the Gold Coast on the world stage and performing along with so many other talented artists is going to be a special moment for me personally.”

Audiences will also be treated to performances by Australia’s leading contemporary dance companies Force Majeure, Dancenorth and the Gold Coast’s very own The Farm; acclaimed international theatre makers UK’s Punchdrunk and Jeremy Goldstein (London Artists Projects); and unique genres from across the Commonwealth including crowd-pleasers Soweto Skeleton Movers with their spin on street dance style ’pantsula’ and Mallakhambindia with the ancient sporting artform, Mallakhamb.

Festival 2018 also brings diverse audiences and communities together to celebrate the spirit of the Commonwealth by sharing of culture through art, from stories of our First Nations peoples to exceptional artistic performances from around the world. In addition, a long-lasting legacy will be the professional development experiences Festival 2018 has provided for the arts community with world-class participation, engagement and collaboration opportunities.

“The world of Festival 2018 Gold Coast is a place for everyone – for the young and the old, for the community and the arts aficionado,” sayd Co-Creative Director Kate Fell. “We’re excited to share local, national and international talent with the Gold Coast community. Come along and immerse yourself in the wonderful world of Festival 2018 Gold Coast. It’s all free, all open, and all for your enjoyment.”

Festival 2018 Gold Coast runs 4 – 15 April. For more information, and full program, visit: www.gc2018.com for details.

Image: Luke Jerram, Museum of the Moon – courtesy of the artist