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News > News > Fremantle Festival
Fremantle festival
13 Nov 2008
MEDIA RELEASE
November 13, 2008
Transformation the theme of the Fremantle Festival
Come one and come all. The annual Fremantle Festival is on again and everyone is invited!
The Fremantle Festival 2008 program is a three-day feast of fantastic community events and activities, opening with a free sunset concert in Princess May Park featuring local bands on Friday, November 14 from 6pm.
The theme of this year’s festival is “transform” and celebrates how much Fremantle has grown and developed over the last century. Since its inception in 1905 – the year the city turned on its electricity – the festival has always been a celebration of the distinctive and dynamic culture that is Fremantle.
The festival fosters participation from a diverse and eclectic collection of cultural, ethnic, arts and local groups who make up the heart and soul of the Freo community – and this year’s festival is no exception.
“Fremantle Festival is an iconic event which celebrates everything which is great about Fremantle and its people,” says Siobhan Wood, City of Fremantle Festivals & Special Events Officer.
“During the festival, there’s always this special feeling in the air as everyone comes together, uniting to showcase what they love about the city.”
The Fremantle Festival 2008 program is a three-day feast of fantastic community events and activities, opening with a free sunset concert in Princess May Park featuring local bands on Friday, November 14 from 6pm.
A free youth event happens at the Fly By Night Musicians Club on Saturday, November 15, featuring several local bands and other entertainment from 2 - 5pm. This event is coordinated by young people, for young people.
Also on Saturday, the Wardarnji Aboriginal cultural celebrations are on the Esplanade Reserve from 3pm. You’ll see traditional Aboriginal dancing, taste bush tucker and hear the ancient stories passed down from generation to generation through storytelling and music fusing together an ancient and vibrant living culture.
The High Street Fashion Collective brings cutting-edge fashion from local designers like Love in Tokyo, Ashe and Kartique to the catwalk with a twilight parade on November 15 using the Roundhouse as a backdrop. Featuring choreography by the West End Dance Academy, it’s another free even on the festival calendar.
Celebrating the musical heart of Fremantle is the second annual Funk Club Festival headlined by Sydney outfit The Herd and joined by UK tastemaker Russ Dewbury and local heroes The Sunshine Brothers, Charlie Bucket, the Funk Club House Band plus other Freo performers. Don’t expect to escape the groove on Saturday at the Fremantle Arts Centre from 6 – 10pm. Tickets $40.
Fertile Soil: 50 Years of the Fremantle Art Collection pays homage to WA’s notable artists and crafts people who live and work in the port city. Sixty-eight pieces by 50 artists including Brian McKay, Pippin Drysdale, Bevan Honey and Mary Moore will cover the walls of Fremantle Arts Centre.
The exhibition presents a groundbreaking audio guide, offering a remarkable insight into the artists’ ideas, techniques and processes which is the perfect companion to the 80-page fully-illustrated book. It runs from October 11 to November 23 and on November 16 there is a floor talk by curator Andre Lipscombe.
But the Fremantle Festival wouldn’t be “so very Freo” without the Lotterywest Street Parade which happens on Sunday, November 16. From 4pm dressed-up floats and costumed people will sail down the cappuccino strip in a sea of vibrant colour and spirit as part of Carnival Day further highlighting the festival’s theme of “transform”.
“The Street Parade is a major drawcard that attracts huge crowds every year,” says Siobhan. “We want the 2008 parade to come to life with people who are thoroughly inspired by the spirit of Fremantle.
“This is a chance to not only celebrate the transformation we’ve undergone since the first festival over 100 years ago but also show off visions of Fremantle in the future.”
Sunday’s Carnival Day will also feature quirky street theatre, joyous choirs, market stalls of unique handcrafted treasures and plenty of music filling the salty Fremantle air.
But don’t head home just yet because as the street parade winds down the rhythm winds up with inescapable beats of the Bhangra Street Dance Party.
Innovative, inspirational and provocative, Fremantle Festival 2008 embraces the city’s diverse cultural identity – which is uniquely Fremantle – and celebrates a rich and varied past, with a heart in the present and an eye to the future.
The Fremantle Festival 2008 runs from November 14 to November 16. For more information check out www.fremantlefestivals.com
Media Contact
Sasha Jones: 0408 468 678
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