New Annual cultural arts festival, celebrated by HCCDC
Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation (HCCDC) was thrilled to be an official event sponsor of City of Newcastle's flagship cultural arts festival New Annual that celebrated ten days of art, culture and creativity across the city centre.
New Annual 2022 hosted an extensive lineup of interactive and immersive experiences including visual art, dance, theatre, comedy and street art - along with cultural activations and First Nations music and workshops.
The festival showcases the city as a leading creative hub where exciting, ambitious and accessible art and culture thrive - and we were pleased for The Station's piazza to be part of the event as a Chalk The Walk art trail destination, and for the collaborative film production, RADIAL.
RADIAL film collaboration
We were privileged to share The Station's platform with Tantrum Youth Arts and Back to Back Theatre for the filming of RADIAL, a feel-good short film celebrating neurodiversity.
The collaboration filmed and produced during New Annual, features Tantrum's Accelerate Ensemble - a performance ensemble empowering young adults with disability to explore their own creativity and push the boundaries of theatre.
The collaborative process filmed at iconic Newcastle locations (including HCCDC’s The Station, Civic Theatre, Fort Scratchley and City Library) used a circular camera track to create a continuous sequence of action and dance; capturing the unique city landscapes as a backdrop for the performances.
RADIAL celebrates the performers' love for playing, dreaming, dressing up and telling jokes; and was premiered at a public screening at Civic Theatre on the final day of New Annual.
Congratulations to the cast, crew and everyone involved in this joyful creative production.
Chalk The Walk pavement art
Colourful street art played a prominent part in the New Annual program, and we were excited to host an impressive Van Gogh-inspired creation on The Station's platform as part of the festival's 3D Chalk The Walk art trail.
The 'Starry Night' jigsaw by artist Rudy Kistler was an Instagram-worthy masterpiece; and a fitting connection with the festival's Van Goh Alive exhibition on the neighbouring Foreshore Park.
Chalk The Walk provided a fun, free and family-friendly activity with seven mind-bending creations bringing Newcastle's footpaths to life with interactive artworks designed to be played and posed with.Big Picture Fest mural art
HCCDC was also pleased to sponsor The Big Picture Fest as part of NSW Government's The Festival of Place.
The large-scale street art festival held during New Annual brought world-class artists together to create a series of professional murals across Newcastle, in an event where the community watched and celebrated the live art-making in progress.
The Big Picture Fest leaves behind a legacy street art trail that can be explored on self-guided walking tours throughout the city - and the event also included exhibitions, artist talks, workshops and graffiti jams.