The Festival of W will see Civic host large-scale light installations never before seen outside Australia’s metropolitan centres. Photo: Shri Gayathirie Rajen.
Wagga is set to turn the Civic Centre precinct and the Victory Memorial Gardens into a winter wonderland this weekend with the launch of the highly-anticipated Festival of W.
The winter festival will officially kick off at 4 pm tomorrow (Saturday 2 July) with two large-scale lighting and sound installations, pop-up ice-skating, live music, roving performers, digital projections and warming street food.
Wagga City Council events officer Emma Corbet said elements of the Festival’s curated program, such as large-scale lighting and sound installations, haven’t appeared in regional Australia before.
“We’re really excited to bring something of this calibre to Wagga and take it out of the city so it is accessible to all,” she said.
Sky Castle is a dreamy cluster of inflatable rainbow arches spanning 500 sqm of the Civic Centre Precinct, creating a colourful symphony of light and sound as people move through the space. It will remain until Wednesday 6 July.
Airship Orchestra then takes over the space on Friday 8 July and will remain until the Festival closes on Sunday 17 July. This second installation has been described as “a mythical tribe of otherworldly characters” and reaches up to six metres tall.
Pop-up ice skating is almost ready for the Festival of W. Photo: Shri Gayathirie Rajen.
The winter playground will see the return of the pop-up ice skating rink in a larger format and will operate for the entirety of the Festival.
Ms Corbet said the council took on board the feedback from the community and made the ice rink 10 m longer.
Musician Mia Wray will be in the city to perform on Saturday night on the main stage along with homegrown talents Sweet Citrus, Parklands and Vino + Vinyl while DJ Brittany De Marco is set to light up the steps of the Historic Council Chambers.
Each weekend there will be a free major event showcasing new and exciting offerings that will have you rugging up and embracing the cold.
On Saturday 9 July from 4 pm to 8 pm a great line-up of musicians will take to the stage including Indigenous singer-songwriter from Yorta Yorta Country, Benny Walker, supported by James Bennet and local talent Wildharmony.
Sunday 17 July from 11 am to 3 pm will deliver a family-focused wintry food market in the Civic Centre precinct.
On the event’s final day, Champion international ice sculptor Kenji will carve a large-scale Festival of W ice sculpture.
Ms Corbet said ticket sales for the Festival have already exceeded 2021’s targets.
“We’re excited about the support we’ve received from the community,” she said.
The Festival is hosted across the Civic Centre Precinct with road closures throughout the vicinity into Morrow Street.
The Festival of W will take place from 2 to 17 July at various Wagga locations. For a complete program of events and to purchase ice-skating tickets go to the Visit Wagga website.
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