9 Reasons To Head To The OpenField Arts Festival In Berry In June
A contemporary arts festival with a jam packed program of art, music, fun, food, creativity + a dance floor!
We already know the town of Berry is just the bees knees, and now it’s about to get even more exciting, thanks to the OpenField Arts Festival which is happening 22-25 June.
A contemporary art experience where festival-goers can soak up a huge range of creative and artistic disciplines in all corners of this popular south coast town.
Here’s 9 reasons why the OpenField Arts Festival should be on your must visit list.
1 :: See the work of more than 20 amazing artists
The exhibiting artists are as diverse as they are talented. We love the sound of Nowra-based Gomeroi man Warwick Keen’s collection of neon poles suspended from the trees in the Princess Street Reserve as well as the incredible Sophie Cape as she shows off her skills on-site. We also can’t wait to see Glenn Barkley’s 1000 small ceramic topiary works located within the historic Berry Courthouse… and sooooooo much more!
2 :: A night of acoustic goodness
OpenField Acoustic is happening on Friday 23 June and is a chance to be serenaded by dreamy acoustic beats. Alongside ARIA award-winning superstar Josh Pyke, you can also catch indie-pop singer and Berry local Lenka, Illawarra’s own Kay Proudlove, ‘The Voice’ 2022 contestant Shaun Wessel and JJJ 2020 Unearthed High Indigenous winner, Aodhan. This is sure to be a night to remember so grab your tickets before they sell out!
3 :: A chance to bust a groove
Saturday night is all about the dance floor. For lovers of electro music or for anyone who just feels like letting loose and loud, scoop up some tickets to OpenField Electric. Local legend Electric Ginger and drag artist Roxee Horror are teaming up with high-energy dance groups, composers and DJs to get the party going. Better get your dancin’ pants ready!
4 :: Fascinating workshops
The workshops are a chance for you to let your creative flag fly and there’s a fab range to choose from. Adults can have a go at ‘Open Netting’, kiddos [aged 8-14] can get messy drawing with charcoal and paint, and all ages can work together to create the setting for a luminescent stage where performers and puppets will then put on a show….fun! These are only a few of the workshops on offer, have a peep at the program for even more options.
5 :: An unforgettable night of Australian film
Spend the Sunday night of the festival supporting Aussie cinema as OpenField film puts on two excellent Australian films. Healing Truth is a short film based on a series of poems by Yuin writer Kaitlen Wellington that explores the themes of trauma and healing for the First Nations people of the Shoalhaven region. TERROR NULLIUS is a 2018 piece by artist duo Soda Jerk and is touted as a political revenge fable made up of hundreds of pirated samples….how very interesting. Score your tickets and prepare to be entertained.
6 :: Fun for all ages
OpenField Arts Festival is an event for everyone. The workshops cater for littles to bigs and there are spaces where children and families are encouraged to get creative and discover art. The art showcases will also be held predominantly in accessible venues AND they’re striving to be a zero-waste event, score!
7 :: Enlightening panel discussions
Panels will be held throughout the event where you can get into the minds of the artists, explore what it means to create ‘Art outside the City’ and hear from First Nations artists. You know how teachers at school used to try to tell you learning was fun? Well, this is what they meant!
8 :: Delish food and bevvies
Social Life, a stellar local grazing and wine bar will be coupling up with the event for The OpenField x SocialLife Bar. They’ll be serving up lots of lovely refreshments to keep you lubricated for all that viewing and exploring. Bumpy Road Catering and their adorbs food truck will also be onsite with all the yummy eats.
9 :: Get your hands on some one-of-a-kind pieces
OpenField Salon inside the Berry School of Arts will be holding a group show by a bunch of talented local artists. The best part is that all of the works will be for sale. This is your way to take a piece of the festival home with you.
OpenField Arts Festival is gonna be epic, enlightening, exciting and so much more. Head here to get all the deets on the program and how to book the ticketed events head here. See you in Berry!
