Music, dance, poetry, art, food and markets: it's all coming to Victoria Park and surrounds this weekend with the 2019 River Arts Festival.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The festival starts Thursday evening with the screening of the documentary, Island of the Hungry Ghosts, tickets are available through Forbes Services Memorial Club.
Friday night sees the Arts OutWest Arts Huddle and the opening of the FLOW Gallery in the Town Hall.
The official opening is from 6.30pm Friday, to RSVP contact Arts Outwest by email artsoutwest@csu.edu.au or phone 6338 4657.
The community festival begins midday on Saturday, with a special opening ceremony in Victoria Park.
The Presbyterian Church becomes a poetry space for the day, with Canowindra's Jason and Chloe Roeth getting things underway.
Forbes is hosting a heat of the Australian Poetry Slam for the first time, with Lorin Elizabeth sharing some of her works to give insight into the genre.
Town Hall will be transformed into a gallery, with local performers Georgia Sideris and Lily Gaffaney bringing live music to the space.
Out in the park there will be food providers, family-friendly space thanks to the Rhyme Time team, a suitcase forage (go online to the River Arts Festival Facebook page for information on registering) and artisan stalls.
Generocity band will take the Victoria Park stage about 12.30, and the musical entertainment will continue there all afternoon.
Kristen's Dance Studio and the Eclectica choir from Bathurst will feature, then local artist Lucy Simmonds.
Bathurst band The 10th Man, the Roweths and Parkes band Amity will lead into the very special finale.
All the event's performers come together for a finale we could describe as a rain dance.
It will be led by the River Spirit Dancers, Bedgerabong school's J pipe band and the festival 44-gallon drummers return.
The day's performers, from Kristen's Dance Studio through to The 10th Man, will all feature in the finale.
From there, you're welcome to stay in the park for another set from The 10th Man, or head over to the festival club at the Forbes Services Memorial Club to hear more from locals Lily Gaffaney, Lucy Simmonds and Georgia Sideris.
While the event is all planned for the outdoors, organisers will not say no to rain. With the support of several local venues it can all go indoors in case of wet weather.
