After-Dark Arts Festival WinterWild Will Return to Illuminate Apollo Bay This Winter

Anyone with a couple of Melbourne winters up their sleeve will tell you the key to coping is to have some big, bold, sensory experiences to sweep you off the couch and out of hibernation mode. And you'll find no shortage of those littered among the program of arts festival WinterWild, which is headed back to Apollo Bay for a bumper 2022 instalment this August.

Launched in 2017, the Great Ocean Road festival is a fiery celebration of art, music, performance and food, with a touch of darkness to its attitude. The festival has a deep respect for the elements at its core.

This time around, it'll unfold across two weekends, running Friday, August 12–Sunday, August 14, and from Friday, August 26–Sunday, August 28. And it's got one heck of a musical lineup in tow, with Cash Savage and The Last Drinks, Amyl and The Sniffers, and Emma Donovan and the Putbacks just some of the legendary acts who'll be hitting the Otway Coast for the occasion.

Gigs from celebrated songstress Kee'ahn, Melbourne-based pop rockers Floodlights, Geelong rock trio ORB and folk artist Leah Senior are also on the agenda.

Meanwhile, WinterWild's jam-packed program of performance art is set to showcase treats from the likes of Aphids Theatre and Long Prawn, kicking off with the ever-popular bonfire production they call The Dogwatch.

Also on the eclectic bill: cemetery tours led by local historians, cold water immersion sessions held at sunrise, and a flame-driven communal seafood feast that sees the Apollo Bay Fishermen's Co-Op cooking their fresh haul over flames beneath the stars.

You can join in a group somatic sound walk, do yoga to live tunes by the beach, reenergise with a guided qigong class and get those toes tapping at a variety show-meets-dance party. Plus, don't miss seeing a bunch of gutsy locals brave the ocean at night for a lively match of ocean polo, complete with glow-in-the-dark ball and likely a few sea creature spectators.

WinterWild takes over various locations around Apollo Bay from August 12–August 14, and from August 26–August 28. For the full program and to grab tickets, see the website.

Top Images: Fabi and WinterWild