This year’s Bondi Festival boasts an arts line-up bolder and better than ever before, with first-class theatre, comedy, cabaret and interactive experiences this July.
Bondi Festival returns to its spiritual home at Bondi Pavilion, as well as various locations around Bondi. There’s something for the whole family, as well as things for adults only. Alongside the arts line-up, visitors can enjoy the ice-skating rink, and the Bondi Vista Ferris wheel, an unforgettable ride with 360-degree views of Bondi Beach.
“I am delighted to be launching Bondi Festival 2024, our winter celebration of local artists, immersive performances and playful offerings for audiences of all ages,” Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos says. “It is another demonstration of Waverley’s serious commitment to an exciting, vibrant arts and culture scene and local economy.”
Things kick off with the annual Waverley Art Prize announcement. This year, the Prize is returning to the Bondi Pavilion Gallery, as Bondi’s staple event in the local and national art prize calendar.
Opening weekend for Bondi Festival also sees the world premiere of ‘Proud, Proud Woman: A Ruby Hunter Tribute’. It’s a special event celebrating the enduring legacy of Ngarrindjeri, Kukatha and Pitjantjatjara singer-songwriter Ruby Hunter, as a trailblazer for young First Nations artists. The event features Dan Sultan, Emily Wurramara, and a slew of other local musicians.
‘Giddy Drawing Club’ kicks off week two. It’s a Bondi Festival 2023 favourite – the performative life-drawing collaboration of your dreams and an inclusive, body-positive life drawing class.
For theatre lovers, ‘Burnout Paradise’ is a wild love letter to the labour, recklessness and euphoric optimism that precedes burnout. Then, ‘Blood On The Clocktower: Live’ sees a chaotic comedy show hit the stage to deliver challenges, twists and turns.
‘Queer PowerPoint’ reclaims the corporate presentation from our straight, capitalist overlords. It brings queer artists from Sydney and beyond to explore and share an idea, obsession, or ongoing fascination using PowerPoint.
‘Werewolves’ is a game of accusation, deceit and murder. A room full of strangers are pitted against each other, working together to weed out the werewolves. Then there’s ‘Helios’, the award-winning story from international storytelling mavericks Wright & Grainger.
Week three brings fun to the streets and surrounds of Bondi, kicking off with Ally Morgan’s ‘Hymns From My 20s’, a retrospective through the songs she wrote in her 20s. In the Seagull Room, Dance Makers Collective bring their communal dance experience ‘The Bondi Social’ for an evening of dancing with partners, family and friends.
The Bondi Festival Local programme returns, celebrating events driven by talented locals at satellite venues across Bondi. Then, bringing things to a close is the Gould St Party – a vibrant celebration of community and creativity. It’s a Bondi Festival first, as the street transforms into an all-day street party for everyone.
Check out the full programme.
Bondi Festival is on from 5-21 July.
