Horizon Festival is the Sunshine Coast's premier multi-arts festival and an award-winning, celebration of music, performance, art and culture.
The Horizon Festival 2019 programme brings together artists from all over Australia and the world for ten days of visual art, music, words & ideas, film, fashion, art & tech, performing arts, street art and creative workshops.
The festival takes over the entire Sunshine Coast region, from the Glasshouse Mountains in the south to Nambour and Mudjimba in the north, Maleny to the west and right out to Caloundra on the coastline.
Nestled between the sparkling coastal waters and the lush, forest hills of the hinterland is a wonderland of creativity waiting to be explored and experienced by people from all walks of life.
Maroochydore City Central becomes ground-zero for the event in 2019, transforming into the official creative hub for Horizon Festival this year.
The central hub will be lit up by 'Mountain', a stunning performance that combines aerial theatre with cutting-edge interactive technology. Exploring society’s increasing dependence on technology and the effect it is having on the world and biosphere around us, four performers seamlessly meld acrobatics, dance and aerials to create a captivating spectacle.
The extensive music programme presents a diverse wealth of performances with a focus on First Nations and local, emerging artists.
Also taking place in Festival Central, Blak Social celebrates the cultural resurgence of Indigenous peoples with a line-up as varied and constellated as their identities, including Alice Skye, Rebecca Hatch, Kee’ahn, The Ancient Bloods, Chocolatte Boxx, Katina Olsen and Gubbi Gubbi Dance.
With electronic music and dance to performing arts and songwriting, from both established artists and emerging young talents, Blak Social is a celebration of Indigenous artists and the future they create.
Over at The Events Centre in Caloundra, your senses will be sent into overdrive with 'POINT', an immersive event featuring some of the country’s most exciting emerging and established music acts, plus multi-art projections and installations all curated particularly for young people.
Still in Caloundra, winner of 'The X Factor Australia' 2016 Isaiah Firebrace will ignite audiences with his four-piece band in his new concert spectacular. A true inspiration to not only Indigenous youth but all young people, Isaiah’s concert with a rocking live band will feature all his hit songs, originals and his Eurovision entry.
Head north to Nambour to check out the Beat At Bison Bar series, featuring a revolving line-up across four afternoons and evenings that includes The Soul Movers presenting their new album 'Bona Fide', singer-songwriter Lydia Fairhall showcasing songs from her forthcoming album 'True North', Elly Hoyt celebrating Australian female composers in her new album 'The Composer's Voice' and soul-pop band JoeCei launching their debut single.
In need of a weekend wind-down? Then head back to Maroochydore and Festival Central for the Live + Local Sunday sessions with local musicians, tasty local brews and delicious local produce. The first Sunday (25 August) stars The Yammz, Anna + Jordan, The Dreggs, Alfanant, Andrea Kirwin and Bearfoot; the second and final session (1 September) will feature Karrie Hayward, The Dennis Sisters, Emma Beau, Alya and Band Of Frequencies.
Beyond music there are worlds of entertainment to discover at Horizon Festival in 2019, from in-conversation workshops with Jack Charles in 'Born Again Blakfella' and real-time stargazing accompanied by a 32-strong choir with 'A Galaxy Of Suns', to art exhibitions harnessing AR (augmented reality) technology as with '[In] Place' and the award-winning social experiment 'TRUTHMACHINE' where you can take a lie detector test with a stranger.
Plus there's comedy from Dave Hughes and Tommy Little, an evening with crime author Mark Brandi, creative workshops, interactive installations and so much more.
No matter where you are on the Sunshine Coast, there will be no escaping the sprawl of Horizons Festival in 2019.
