Get set for dancing, music, great food, creative arts, sensational circus and more at the 2019 Viva la Gong festival in Wollongong's leafy MacCabe Park.
With six stages and hundreds of performers from 11am on 9 November Viva la Gong is jam packed with circus, bands, performers, creative activities, food stalls, pop-up surprises and more.
"Viva la Gong is a day full of great performances, laughter, fun, international food, and community performers who throng to the park for the award-winning festival," Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said. "Viva is also a socially inclusive festival open to everyone. We will have an accessible drop off zone for people with disability to get into the festival.
"I encourage everyone to bring your crowd and check it out. There's plenty on offer and it's always an exciting, fun event."
To make sure you get the most out of your Viva la Gong experience, head to our Facebook event via tiny.cc/VivaLaGong, and check out the program and times for performers. You'll be able to find all the unique Vivalicious activities to keep you and the family entertained throughout the day.
Viva la Gong will have six stages this year featuring Australian performers Frente headlining the festival, Illawarra Folk Festival players, young performers from the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music, a silent disco, a literary and slam poetry event, and community choirs and bands. A colourful cavalcade of circus and sideshow performers will feature strongly in this year's festival.
The whole family can join in the creative activities from different associations such as Nan Tien Temple, Big Fat Smile and the Illawarra Potters Society. Or tell your dad to stay tuned with a beginners ukulele class. For children there is also an Art Play Zone with puppets, a bear hunt and more.
The main stage will be MCd by acclaimed local artist, Bec Sandridge, featuring a rare performance by seminal indie-pop outfit, Frente, music from award winning singer songwriter, Alice Skye and performances from Dear Violet, You Therefore Me, Bollywood Exclusive Dance School and Footloose Rockers.
This years' Festival—our 20th Viva la Gong—will feature a cutting-edge poetry slam [or poetry whisper] event curated by Baby Teeth Journal. There will be plenty of Circus to see and take part in, including side-splitting hilarity in La Petite Grande, daring aerials, storytelling and circus stunts with 'Scissors, Paper, Rock' a new collaboration between Burgh Circus from Helensburgh and Circartus from Wingham NSW, as well as shows from the Illawarra's Circus Monoxide and Circus WOW.
Sustainable festival
Remember that Viva la Gong is a sustainable festival and works with Green Connect to support festivalgoers to manage their rubbish.
"I'd also encourage everyone coming to Viva this year to make their visit sustainable by bringing along reusable eating utensils, plates, water bottles, reusable cups and straws," Cr Bradbery said.
Accessible drop-off zone
