Wagga promises a winter of ice skating, live music and castles in the sky

The returning outdoor ice rink and a luminescent, inflatable sky castle will take centre stage at Wagga’s new-look winter festival.

The Festival of W runs over the school holidays from 2 to 17 July in the city centre featuring art, live music, food, drink and of course, ice skating.

Wagga City Council events officer Emma Corbett said the ever-popular attraction in the Victory Memorial Gardens will be bigger than ever before.

“The ice rink is returning in a larger format and will be the only ticketed part of the festival, operating every day over the two-week period,” she said.

This year’s winter festival expands the success of the one-night Lost Lanes event into two weeks of activities in the Victory Memorial Gardens and Civic Centre Precinct.

“We’re looking forward to bringing the community together and supporting the local creative, hospitality and event industries during what is typically a quieter time of year,” Ms Corbett said.

“We have a host of offerings running continuously over the two weeks, such as the ice rink, creative lighting installations and pop-up food and drink vendors.”

A feature attraction will be the immersive Airship Orchestra that has been touring Australia after appearing in New York and Shanghai.

The glowing six-metre high installation will cover a 500 sqm area within the Civic Centre forecourt.

Made up of about 20 inflatable sculptures, the award-winning interactive experience pulsates with light and sound and invites festival-goers to enter its glowing interior.

According to Melbourne-based creators Eness, “The Airship Orchestra is a mystical tribe of otherworldly characters beamed from the night stars, skin streaked with galaxy and voices like stardust.”

It’s also the perfect place for a selfie.

Celebrations kick off at 4 pm on Saturday 2 July with food and live entertainment.

“There will be lots to see and do, delicious food and drinks to enjoy and plenty of memorable moments,” Ms Corbett said.

Singer-songwriter Vance Joy will perform along with up-and-coming artist Mia Wray and a host of homegrown performers including Sweet Citrus and Parklands.

Ms Corbett said they are still keen to hear from food and drink vendors and local businesses interested in participating.

“Festival of W is an ideal opportunity for local vendors and businesses to get involved and come up with an offering that festival-goers will enjoy,” Ms Corbett said.

Visit the Wagga website or email [email protected] to register an expression of interest.

Original Article published by Chris Roe on About Regional.