Black Gully Festival – ART * MUSIC * COMMUNITY * ENVIRONMENT

Now in its 15th year, the much-loved Black Gully Festival returns on Saturday 7 November at the scenic Black Gully Reserve, (behind NERAM on the north and south sides of the creek). This free, family-friendly event celebrates Armidale’s creativity, community spirit and natural environment as the warmer weather arrives. 

From 10.00am to 7.30pm, festival goers can enjoy live music across three stages, along with a makers’ market, sumptuous food vans, arts, craft and science activities, talks and workshops, a clothes swap, creek bug collecting and more.

Program highlights include:

  • Live local music livestreamed by 2ARM Community Radio, featuring regional bands, soloists and small groups presented by The Musicians of Armidale. Music will take place a dual stage in the parklands and at an acoustic venue at the NERAM Café featuring the Firebirds Community Choir.

  • Two contemporary Aboriginal dance troupes, and Tiddalick the Greedy Frog with the Saturday Magic Theatre Troupe at the Aboriginal Cultural Centre & Keeping Place.

  • Oracle of Time: Interactive Installation. Dial a year and be transported through local time. Laura Jade and Leslie Marsh @NERAM Gallery

  • Night-sky viewing with UNE and the Northern Tablelands Astronomical Society from 7.00pm to 8.45pm outside the NERAM Café.

Festival Program

  • 9.00am – 7.30pm – Festival Livestream and broadcast 2ARMFM Community Radio

  • 10.00am – 4.00pm – NERAM Art Gallery & feature exhibition Oracle of Time: Interactive Installation.

  • 10.00am – 4.00pm – Makers, Community and Environment Markets

Caring for Koala Country, Clothes Swap and Slow Living, Community Garden tours, , Electrify Armidale, Growing Sustainable Landscapes, Healthy Headwaters and Creek bug collecting, NERAM Family Art Making, Platypus Play and Clay, River Weaving , Rising Tide, Save our Styx, Talking Soil, Black Gully Printers, Community Weathering Station, Face painting and more…..

  • 10.00am – 7.30pm – Sumptuous Food Vans

  • 12.00pm – Official Opening – Yidaki performance  and Welcome to Country at Black Gully Central and recognition to 2ARM’s 50 years Official Musical Patron, local Dunghutti Elder Uncle Cyril Green+ Thanks to Sponsors + announcements

  • 7.00pm – 8.45pm – Astronomy night with the Stars & UNE & NT Astronomical Society@NERAM cafe

Music, Dance & Theatre Program

Main Stages

10.00am to 7.30pm                             

Live Music Line up TBC - coming early October 

Acoustic Stage (NERAM Café)

10am to 2.00pm                 

Live Music Line up TBC, including Firebirds Community Choir

Aboriginal Cultural and Keeping Place Stage (ACCKP)

12.30pm to 4.00pm                 

Line up TBC, includes two contemporary Aboriginal dance troupes and Tiddalick the Greedy Frog with the Saturday Magic Theatre Troup

 

Talks, Activities & Workshops Program

Clothes Swap@ Slow Living Tent

  • 10.00 to 11.00am Clothes drop

  • 12.00 to 2.00pm Clothes swap

Community Garden

  • Community Garden Tours – Come for a visit! Tours running from 10.00am to 4.00pm -as needed

UNE Aquatic Ecology – Old Netball Courts and Creeklands

  • 10.00am to 4pm – Creek Bug Collecting, Identification and Exploration

Sustainable Living Armidale (SLA) and Friends @ North Gully Village (NERAM Side)

Program TBA

SLA and Friends – Special Speakers @ the Packsaddle room (Below NERAM)

Program TBA

SLA and Friends @ South Gully Village (Stage Side)

Program TBA

The Black Gully Festival program is subject to changes at any time. Please refer to the Facebook page for any updates or amendments.

The Black Gully Festival – Partners and Sponsors
The Black Gully Festival would not be possible and nor would it be able to provide a free community event without the contribution of over 70 volunteers and our Partners and Sponsors. The Black Gully Festival organisers would like to extend a huge thank you to our volunteers and to the following:

Partners

Musicians of Armidale (MOA)/Sustainable Living Armidale (SLA)/New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM)/2ARMFM Community Radio/Southern New England Landcare (SNEL)/Armidale Tree Group (ATG)/Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place (ACCKP)

Supermega sponsors, Very special sponsors, and Festival friends

Sustainable Living Armidale (SLA)/ Armidale Regional Council (ARC)/NSW Aboriginal Land Council/BlackDot/Gallery 126/The Welders Dog/StringyBark Ecological/Back Track/Raw Fibre/Creative Streets Festival

Follow the Black Gully Festival on Facebook for the full music and activities program and the event page on the Creative Streets, SLA and NERAM websites.