Geelong After Dark 2019

Overview

Make your way down the Princes Freeway to immerse yourself in a world of colour and sound at Geelong After Dark this autumn. Now in its sixth year, Geelong After Dark's exciting showcase of art, design and performance will return on Friday, May 3. As night falls, the Gateway City's laneways, hidden spaces and buildings will be filled with innovative art installations, projections, music acts and live performances. If ever there were an excuse to skip the end-of-week work drinks and head out of town, this is it.

The festivities will take place across three zones in the CBD, from Johnstone Park, down Malop Street and stretching down to the waterfront. The full program is yet to be released, but this year's theme, 'heighten your senses', gives a small clue of what to expect. Artists have created a number of site-specific artworks to be unveiled on the night — all of which are designed to encourage spectator interaction via touch, sound, taste, sight or smell. One commissioned artwork that filled this brief, Sensory Portals, was built by the city's arts and culture team in conjunction with Deakin University. It involves three separate installations that visitors can step inside and immerse themselves within.

Be sure to also keep an ear out for three original songs that will be sampled within a number of the After Dark installations. These songs were written and performed by local unsigned musicians under the Connecting Songs project as an homage to the area. As part of the scheme, these musical groups were also given mentoring opportunities with well-known Australian musicians, including Adalita (Magic Dirt), Mick Thomas (Weddings, Parties, Anything and Mick Thomas and the Sure Thing) and Mark Wilson (Jet).

Geelong After Dark will take place from 6–10pm on Friday, May 3. For more information, visit the website.

Image: Reg Ryan.