Apollo Bay’s famous WinterWild festival is right around the corner on 25 – 27 August, presenting three days of music, art, food and fire to embrace the dark beauty of winter. New additions to the program have just been announced and include:
A Night at the Museum
Apollo Bay Museum: Friday 25 August – 7.00pm
Step back in time at Australia’s last remaining cable station. Visitors can join the knowledgeable team at the Apollo Bay Historical Society for a captivating evening of storytelling, traversing the famous shipwrecks of the coastline and the changes to life in and around Apollo Bay, through artefacts and visual displays.
Yeah, Righto: Nat’s What I Reckon
Apollo Bay Hotel: Friday 25 August – 9.00pm
Yeah, Righto is a brand-new show from viral comedian, rock musician, mental health advocate and award-winning author Nat’s What I Reckon. Nat has sold out tours and comedy festivals, published three books, a board game, launched a podcast, clocked up over 4.6 million online followers and hundreds of millions of views on this wild ride he is on. His hilarious social commentary, and honest conversation about mental health has seen Nat sell out live shows at comedy festivals and theatres all over Australia. Audiences will be in stitches when they join the no filter, rock’n’roll comedian for this new show.
Apollo Bay Cemetery Walk
Apollo Bay Cemetery: Saturday 26 August – 3.00pm
Visitors can walk among the graves of Apollo Bay’s early settlers, guided by the Apollo Bay Historical Society. in this afternoon of storytelling, learn about the lives of those who rest with a world-class view.
WinterWild sees thousands of revellers gather in Apollo Bay every August, encircled by turbulent seas and majestic rainforests, to eat, drink, dance and embrace the dark beauty of winter. Other program highlights include:
Jen Cloher At The Mech, with Zoë Fox and the Rocket Clocks, Sid O’Neil, and Outtatime
Apollo Bay Mechanics Institute Hall: Friday 25 August – 8.00pm
Jen Cloher (Ngapuhi & Ngati Kahu) is a songwriter and performer whose taut, terse brand of rock is charged with the static tension that comes with being an eternal misfit. Don’t miss a chance to see this formidable performer, with support from disco-infused space-pop project Zoë Fox and the Rocket Clocks, Apollo Bay’s beloved singer-songwriter Sid O’Neil, and the soulful vocals of local indie-jazz five-piece Outtatime.
The Wild Feast
Apollo Bay Foreshore: Saturday 26 August – 4.00pm
Rug up and gather round the fire to mark the close of a deep, dark winter in the Otways. Indulge in pans of paella with famous local seafood and vegetables, low-and-slow smoked meats, fresh pasta, fluffy bao, hearty soups and more. While mulled wine and hot toddies warm up the hands, visitors can choose from a range of local craft beers from Otway brewers Prickly Moses and cocktails from the Apollo Bay Gin Distillery. Leslie D. King and the Trembling Shakes will bring the soul-soaked rock’n’roll, joined by some very special guests. After sunset festivalgoers will witness the signature outdoor performance, The DogWatch.
Dane Blacklock & The Preacher’s Daughter At The Mech, with S P O R E S and MELT
Apollo Bay Mechanics Institute Hall: Saturday 26 August – 8.00pm
Festivalgoers will surrender to the desires of the flesh with Australia’s premier satanic gospel experience Dane Blacklock & the Preacher’s Daughter. With support from S P O R E S, with their blend of lazy disco anti-fascist slow-core lackadaisical noise punk for the apocalypse, and Otways psychedelic trio MELT, who’ll have audiences diving down a rabbit hole of fuzz-covered heavy riffs, dreamy licks, dirty bass and driving drumbeats.
MoonGarden
Apollo Bay Sailing Club: Saturday 26 August – 10.00pm
Dance under a blanket of stars by a raging ocean, with some of Australia’s best alternative electronic artists. Headlined by Harvey Sutherland (DJ Set), with Milo Eastwood and Post Percy.
Discover the dark side of Apollo Bay at WinterWild and see the town as locals see it in the off season: intense, wild, and raw. Take a plunge into the sacred or the profane at WinterWild: 25 – 27 August 2023. For more information and full program, visit: www.winterwild.com.au for details.
Image: The Dogwatch – courtesy of WinterWild Festival