The fifth Ukitopia Festival is shaping up to be a true celebration of arts, life and culture with 50 performers announced this week as part of the event’s three-day program from November 16 to 18 in the Uki village.
Festival-goers won’t have to wait until November, however, to get in the spirit, as this year an official program launch and Ukitopia Festival taster will be held at the Regent Cinema in Murwillumbah on October 24.
Deya Dova, Lil’ Fi and the Candy Apples, The Lucky Wonders, Kerrianne Cox, James T (Canned Heat) and Dirk Dubois (Chain), Bill Jacobi and Healing Earth are just some of the acts confirmed to perform at this year’s event.
Festival director Thomas Bailey said the taster was a chance to celebrate the incredible talent on offer in this region and to bring a little piece of Uki to Murwillumbah.
Every year, the Ukitopia committee is spoiled with a huge array of talented artists to choose from when programming the festival,’ Bailey said.
‘This year, we had many more applications than spots on the program and it seems that the festival’s reputation for excellent entertainment and being a fun, affordable family and community event continues to grow.’
Bailey said the cinema sampler would feature performances from Aaron Bishop, Indigo Parade, Alan Kirk, Shweet Az and Milan Martin.
Festival coordinator Natascha Wernick said as well as live music the Ukitopia Festival would feature ceremonies, performance and DJs, art installations, historical displays, the Images of Uki art exhibition, the farmers market and Buttery Bazaar Market, children’s entertainment and spectacular local food and wine.
‘This year we are keen to attract even more people from outside the district with special festival accommodation packages as well as a new series of Arts in the Mountains workshops,’ Wernick said.
‘We have such a lot of expertise available that we’ve decided to run very affordable half- and full-day workshops with local experts in things such as basket-weaving and felting to sandstone tile carving, jewellery making and doll making,’ Wernick said.
‘We in the Tweed have the richest artistic community and the Ukitopia Festival is a fantastic opportunity to share our knowledge, skills and inspiration with each other and with people from outside the shire.’
The Ukitopia taster is on Wednesday October 24th from 7pm to 9.30pm. Tickets are $10 or $5 for Ukitopia members and available at the door.
Tickets for the Ukitopia Festival are $35 for adults; $25 for Ukitopia Arts Collective members/concessions; $10 for youth (aged 10–25); Family $50 ($40 for member family).
For program details, to purchase tickets, enrol for Arts in the Mountains workshops or check out the accommodation packages, visit www.ukitopiaartscollective.com.
