{"id":39295,"date":"2026-06-04T10:54:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T00:54:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=39295"},"modified":"2026-06-04T10:54:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T00:54:32","slug":"newcastle-set-to-soak-up-the-sunset-and-bloom-in-the-night-during-new-annual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2026\/06\/04\/newcastle-set-to-soak-up-the-sunset-and-bloom-in-the-night-during-new-annual\/","title":{"rendered":"Newcastle set to soak up the sunset and bloom in the night during New Annual"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

City of Newcastle has revealed a sneak peek of New Annual\u2019s 2026 program, including the return of live music at Newcastle Ocean Baths and a TWISTED<\/em> art party celebrating self-expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The events offer the first taste of what\u2019s to come from the sixth edition of City of Newcastle\u2019s flagship arts festival, which will run from 25 September to 4 October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"SOAKNewcastle band Dust performed in front of thousands of people at the Newcastle Ocean Baths in 2025 for New Annual’s SOAK Live at the Baths sessions. Photo by Ange Maloney<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Festival Director Tory Loudon said after record-breaking attendances in 2025, people were eagerly awaiting this year\u2019s program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLast year\u2019s festival was a testament to the strength of Newcastle\u2019s creative community and the city\u2019s growing reputation as a cultural destination,\u201d Ms Loudon said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnticipation is running high for this year\u2019s festival, which will once again see Newcastle\u2019s coastline and civic spaces reimagined as vibrant stages for art, performance and community connection.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the stand-out hits of 2025 was the introduction of SOAK, a series of free sunset sessions that transformed the Newcastle Ocean Baths into the city\u2019s hottest new live music venue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will return this year with a four-night program featuring local and globally renowned artists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were blown away by the response to SOAK last year,\u201d Ms Loudon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople came out in droves to soak up the atmosphere, soak up the setting and soak up the incredible talent on show during those live music sessions and I\u2019m thrilled to be bringing it back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LoloLolo Brow at Torture Garden \u2013 Electrowerkz, London, 2023. Photo by Damien Frost.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transformations will continue across the city, with Newcastle nightspot Bartholomew\u2019s blooming for one night only into an immersive art party venue inspired by the darkly evocative work of former Newcastle artist Damien Frost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The photographer has spent the past 14 years documenting London\u2019s alternative queer nightlife through his acclaimed photographic series Night Flowers<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He will return to his \u201cspiritual home\u201d of Newcastle to present a collection of those images at Watt Space Gallery. The exhibition will also premiere new portraits captured for New Annual of Newcastle\u2019s queer and alternative communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition will be complemented by the TWISTED: Night Flowers Party<\/em> at Bartholomew\u2019s, with guests invited to explore and celebrate their identities through costume, music and performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As one of the original founders of Newcastle arts organisation Octopod in the late 1990s, Frost said his work was influenced by his time in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlthough the work centres on personal expression, it is just as much about community and chosen family – ideas I became deeply engaged with during the years I lived in Newcastle,\u201d Frost said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere, I was actively involved in community arts projects and was struck by the strong sense of belonging and solidarity within both the broader city and its subcultures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entry to the SOAK sessions and Night Flowers<\/em> exhibition at Watt Space Gallery will be free, with tickets for TWISTED on sale from tomorrow, Thursday 4 June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Annual\u2019s full 2026 program will be announced in coming months, showcasing local people, places and performances alongside some of the best theatre, art and music from Australia and overseas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Councillor Jenny Barrie, Chair of City of Newcastle\u2019s Community and Culture Strategic Advisory Committee, said New Annual is a festival for the entire community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNew Annual offers a fantastic platform for new works and unique collaborations that takes art to audiences, presenting many of Newcastle\u2019s most loved locations in an entirely unexpected light,\u201d Cr Barrie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe program is deliberately low-cost or free, providing local audiences with opportunities to engage with a range of arts while attracting cultural tourism to the city.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Annual is delivered by City of Newcastle with funding from the NSW Government in association with a Multicultural NSW Stronger Together grant, Transport for NSW Permit\/Plug\/Play pilot program and Create NSW. The University of Newcastle is a presenting partner for the 2026 event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe NSW Government is proud to support New Annual in its sixth year, cementing the event as a mainstay in Newcastle\u2019s cultural calendar and enriching the local arts scene,\u201d Mr Crakanthorp said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNew Annual gets better and better every year. Through our investment across Create NSW, Transport for NSW, and Multicultural NSW, the State Government is ensuring that locals and visitors alike can experience vibrant public spaces, world-class art and unforgettable live performances for free or low cost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To keep up to date with the latest festival news visit www.newannual.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tickets for TWISTED will be on sale from 9am on Thursday 4 June via https:\/\/newannual.com\/twisted-party<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

City of Newcastle has revealed a sneak peek of New Annual\u2019s 2026 program, including the return of live music at Newcastle Ocean Baths and a TWISTED art party celebrating self-expression. The events offer the first taste of what\u2019s to come from the sixth edition of City of Newcastle\u2019s flagship arts festival, which will run from 25 September … Continue reading “Newcastle set to soak up the sunset and bloom in the night during New Annual”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newcastle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39295"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39296,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39295\/revisions\/39296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}