Surry Hills Festival 2018

Overview

For one magnificent spring day, Surry Hills will turn itself over to its beloved annual festival on Saturday, September 22. You can expect the usual explosion of creativity and buzz, with performances, laneway installations and hidden pop-up bars complementing all-day live music and markets in Shannon Reserve and Ward Park. And it's all free, free, free.

Music-wise, the bill includes something for everyone. There's pop in the form of Chymes, funk from The BIG ILCH, folk courtesy of Microwave Jenny, garage rock via Crocodylus, soul from King Tide and a bit of everything from Joyride. Rackett, Pirra, Iluka and Jackie Brown Jr round out the bill, which will be MCed by Gavin Ivey from Koori Radio and Emily Nicol of NITV — with yet-to-be-announced DJs spinning tracks at the after party. Better yet: as well as a whole heap of beats, roving art performances and plenty of food stalls, all funds raised on the day go to the Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre.

The festivities actually kick off on September 13 with the ten-day Spring into Surry Hills program. It will see artists curate a trail of projections and installations along Devonshire Street around the theme of 'flower power' to celebrate the birth of the Centre. This will finish up on the Sunday after the festival.

Updated July 21.