24 Is the New Free 24-Hour Arts Festival Hitting Werribee This May

Staying up late absorbing after-dark art and culture might sound like a pastime reserved for inner city folk, but come May, that's exactly what the crowds will be doing in one of Melbourne's outer suburbs, too. Werribee is set to score a brand-new 24-hour arts festival filled with music, performances, live art and film.

Simply dubbed 24, the inaugural fest is set to take over Chirnside Park from 6pm on Saturday, May 6 to 6pm on Sunday, May 7. It'll be an all-ages affair that's free to explore, with a jam-packed program of happenings to keep you entertained non-stop for 1440 minutes straight.

The Riverside Stage will play host to a broad-ranging lineup of acts, including all-female Wurundjeri dance outfit Djirri Djirri, reggae singer-songwriter Nhatty Man, hip hop and spoken word artist NOMAD, and Amadou Suso & Friends Band, showing off those legendary skills on the kora (a West African stringed instrument).

'Chromatica', by David Beach

Tarabeat and MzRizk will treat audiences to a fusion of classic and contemporary Arabic tunes, Halo Vocal Ensemble will be delivering their signature RnB-soaked sound and indie-rock three-piece Berkeley will have the crowds thrashing.

The multi-sensory fun continues away from the stage, with a slew of giant installations and live art performances. You'll spy the massive tune-spinning robotic insect UKI, recognisable from appearances at White Night and Burning Man, plus pop-up dance performances by Janette Hoe and a colourful cast of roving entertainers weaving through the night.

'UKI', by John Palmer

You can unleash your own creativity with a couple of large-scale interactive works by Slow Art Collection, wander through a luminous garden maze made entirely from recycled plastics, and see artist and designer Callum Preston (set builder for RONE's Time) transform a beat-up car into a neon masterpiece live in front of your eyes.

There's a giant interactive kaleidoscope, games of glow-in-the-dark tennis and a silent disco that'll have you bopping from 11pm until 7am. You can even put your feet up, pop on some headphones and catch a flick, thanks to the 24-Hour Outdoor Cinema, which'll be screening back-to-back classics right through the festival.

And of course, to keep you fuelled for all that late-night action, there'll be food trucks onsite slinging a wide array of goodies.

Callum Preston

Slow Art Collective

'Imaginary Botanicals' by The Indirect Object

The inaugural 24 will run from 6pm on Saturday, May 6–6pm on Sunday, May 7, at Chirnside Park, 220 Watton Street, Werribee.

Top image: Halo Vocal Ensemble