MacCabe Park will be transformed into an urban oasis on Saturday, 6 November 2010 as Wollongong City Council stages its free arts and cultural festival- Viva la Gong.
Kicking off with yoga in the park at 9am, the festival will carry into the night with an eclectic mix of music and performances on five different stages, art and dance exhibitions for every taste, a bustling handicraft marketplace, delicious international food stalls, and craft workshops for the kids.
Artistic Director of Viva la Gong, Frank Madrid, said he’s very excited about this year’s program and is confident a range of changes to the Viva format will reenergise the festival.
“Whether people arrive at MacCabe Park at midday, in the middle of the afternoon or dusk, I want Wollongong audiences to have a wonderful time. The choices we have made for the 2010 Viva program are inspired by living in this beautiful city, in close contact with people who truly love the place,” Frank Madrid said.
“I want Viva la Gong to become an experience that no one in Wollongong wants to miss.”
“We’re encouraging locals and visitors of all ages to head into the city for the one day festival to experience extraordinary artistic stuff while enjoying a wonderful day in the park,” Frank said.
The Viva la Gong 2010 program was released at an official launch today, and if you’re looking for just one highlight, think again.
“It would be almost impossible to talk about what the highlight is, but if I was hard pressed I'd say that people should try and catch a bit from every section of the program,“ the Festival Director said.
“The visiting Cuban band will transport us all to Havana, and Erroll Renaud will surely make you dance, while The Medics and Watussi will rock the place.”
“The ‘Best of Illawarra Program’ at the i98 stage is fantastic and the voices of Chanel Cole, Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens, the Stiff Gins and Acoustic Women are to die for. The cha-cha- boogaloo and bossa nova of the Latin Jazz Ensemble, the Celtic sounds of Riogh and the fun of Mikelangelo's Surf and Western are not to be missed,” Frank said.
“Having urban poet Omar Musa is indeed a big deal. Circus Monoxide's new work, created especially for Viva 2010 is fantastic and the same goes for the Modern Dance program at Project Contemporary Art Space where we will also hear a superb classical music program that includes Viva la Brass and Viva la Flute.”
“We have commissioned a dance piece by an amazing Swedish-Mexican choreographer who will be accompanied by a violinist from the hottest youth orchestra in the world, Kenneth Jones, a coup for the festival and the city,” Mr Madrid added.
“Hopefully the program will reenergise the festival and transform it into a key event on the city's community events calendar.”
“The program includes local artists that people respect, and also encourages people to come along and discover something new. We are aiming to showcase The Best of the Illawarra and bring artists that can capture the imagination of locals.”
“The festival takes place in a unique setting, in an urban park, in the middle of the city,” says Madrid. “Combining this beautiful setting with a wonderful cultural program will create a real urban utopia for a day,” concludes Madrid.