Australia’s top artists celebrate the longest night at South Eveleigh with a festival of food, arts, and culture as part of Sydney Solstice.
Celebrating the longest night of the year, the heritage Locomotive Street in South Eveleigh will be transformed on Friday, 18 and Saturday, 19 June into a festival of free and ticketed events for all ages, fusing performance, food and drink, art installations and music.
South Eveleigh Solstice Festival will host a series of activations over the two days featuring live performances from top Australian artists, including PNAU (DJ SET) on Friday and a secret headline act on the Saturday night in the historic Locomotive Workshop. Promising to be a once-in-a-lifetime event, the 139-year-old space will become a live music venue for all to enjoy, before it is set to be converted into a permanent new retail precinct.
Kylie Kwong’s new eatery, Lucky Kwong will open Friday night and from 11am on Saturday exclusively for the program, while Matt Whiley’s no-waste bar, Re, will be serving up a surprise menu of drinks.
South Eveleigh Portfolio Manager, John Fairbairn, said: “The South Eveleigh Solstice Festival is the first major public event we are hosting at South Eveleigh, following a year of exciting openings. We have created a colourful two-day festival program that will showcase the best of South Eveleigh’s new retail, beautifully restored heritage buildings and community spaces, opening up Locomotive Street for everyone to come and enjoy.
“A new seven-day dining, entertainment, technology and lifestyle destination, South Eveleigh is steeped in incredible history. We look forward to this being one of many major activations that will provide both locals and tourists the opportunity to experience the site’s heritage, stories and people, all brought to life through fantastic food, arts and culture.”
There will also be a dedicated program for children, across both days. On Friday evening from 5pm–9pm, DJ Levins will curate an evening’s worth of entertainment for the little ones including live performances and baby rave vibes. All-ages party veterans Dress Up Attack, renowned for creating the ultimate family day out, will take over Saturday’s program and present a jam-packed day full of ‘awesome people reading books’, live performances, and a wearable art workshop run by Handy with Scissors.
Independent youth broadcaster, FBi Radio will keep the free street festival buzzing with music and entertainment from headline acts B Wise, Stevan and Andy Garvey, as well as a line-up of FBi’s DJs. Speaking about its involvement Reg Harris, Music Director FBi Radio said “FBi Radio are really delighted to be able to showcase some of our favourite artists, outside for everyone to enjoy.”
The South Eveleigh Solstice Festival will commence each day with a Smoking Ceremony, acknowledging the Traditional Custodians, the Gadigal people, of the land upon which South Eveleigh sits. The South Eveleigh Cultural Garden will also be hosting tours with Jiwah’s talented team of enthusiastic environmentalists, seeking to educate on the native flora that is integral to the Indigenous heritage and land of South Eveleigh.
South Eveleigh food retailer RaRa Chan’s owner Scott Gault said: “We’re pumped to be part of The South Eveleigh Solstice Festival. It will be a real thrill to see the precinct further come alive. Bringing together what makes Sydney great, the fusion of multiculturalism, music, art, food and adventurous bar options. Most importantly though, thanks to the leadership of the precinct and its participation, respectfully listening and genuine embracing of First Nations culture, it’s a true reflection of country. I’m certainly learning a lot. The two days will be a hive of activity as we showcase the best of South Eveleigh offerings, including the amazing food from the collective of food lovers (read food retailers).”
Feature events across The South Eveleigh Solstice Festival include:
• Locomotive Stage – A once-in-a-lifetime event, the 139-year-old Locomotive workshop will be transformed into a live music venue. Spread across Friday and Saturday from 6pm, the Locomotive stage will host a lineup of Australian artists.
Friday, 18 June: Artist Line-Up:
§ PNAU (DJ SET) – The multi-platinum selling, ARIA award-winning electronic act of Nick Littlemore (Empire of the Sun), Peter Mayes and Sam Littlemore, famed for their extensive career born out of the underground clubs and festival dance floors of Australia. To this day, the group maintain their reputation as one of “Australia’s Best Festival Acts”.
§ Jono Ma – The Sydney-born multi-instrumentalist, award winning film composer, producer, mixer, DJ and musical director is best known for his international success as the main creative force and founding member of Jagwar Ma. Jono has worked as a producer, writer and musician with bands including Foals, Flight Facilities, What So Not, Shura, Underworld, Jonti, Earl Sweatshirt, King Krule, Tracy Thorn, Andrew Weatherall and many more.
§ Kota Banks – Australian pop prodigy Kota Banks says she never stops writing new material – she couldn’t if she tried. With her infectious melodies, left-of-field lyricism, forward-thinking sounds and a big dose of confidence, Kota offers a unique and strong female perspective from Sydney to the world; one that is garnering much attention in recent times.
§ 1300 – 1300 subverts expectations of what it means to be a Korean rap crew. Founded in a garage in Sydney’s west, 1300 is a team of five multi-talented boys with dreams to take over the world. Their latest single ‘No Caller iD’ received praise from both the Aussie and Korean scene for its refreshing take on hip hop.
Saturday, 19 June: Artist Line-Up:
§ Secret Headline Act
§ Budjerah – For 18-year-old artist Budjerah Slabb, making music was an inevitability. Raised in a home full of instruments by a family whose time was split between playing in family bands and leading worship services in the local church, Budjerah has crafted a sound that melds the formative elements of gospel and soul, with contemporary pop and R’n’B. He found kinship with ARIA and J award-winning artist Matt Corby, who produced his upcoming debut EP.
§ PRICIE – Earlier this year, PRICIE made her grand debut with the release of her powerful and charismatic single ‘too dang good’, leading the rapper, singer-songwriter to be labelled as one to watch. Now the Australian/Nigerian talent gives fans another taste of her fresh, slick and soulful sound, releasing ‘FRIENDZONE’, featuring Genesis Owusu. Known for her attitude towards self love and appreciation through her music, PRICIE continues to shed light on female empowerment.
§ Royel Otis – Dream pop duo Royel Otis is the brainchild of Otis Pavlovic and Royel Maddell. Drawing inspiration from old Japanese city pop records and ‘90s nostalgia and produced by Julian Sudek, Royel Otis sent their track off to the legendary mixer Dave Fridmann who agreed to mix their debut song. “Without You” is the duo’s shimmering debut single.
Tickets are $20 and available via Oz Tix and are on sale now. Tickets available for purchase here
● Dress Up Attack – Located on Locomotive Street, a free mini children’s festival will hold several activities across both Friday and Saturday. Kicking off from 5pm on Friday, an all-ages UV-rave with DJ Levins, dancers, and more special guests, plus a ghost story-telling session featuring a selection of comedians, writers, radio hosts and chefs reading their favourite kid-friendly spooky tales.
Saturday’s program has been curated by the team behind Dress Up Attack who have lined up activities throughout the day including ‘Awesome People Reading Books’ and a drop-in recycled junk jewellery wearable art workshop by Handy with Scissors.
● FBi Stage – Located at the western end of Locomotive Street, the FBi Stage will be operating from 5pm on Friday and 11am on Saturday through to 10pm each night. A line-up of bands and artists including B Wise, Stevan, Andy Garvey, Madam3Empress, Maina Doe, SK Simeon, Carolina Gasolina, Jackson Fester b2b w/ James Greville, Deepa, Bare Necessities, Sir Ovo and Eddy Diamond will be performing, keeping the free street festival buzzing with music and entertainment.
● Food & Beverage – Locomotive Street will be converted into a bustling hub of food and beverage experiences from some of Australia’s top food operators. Over the two days and for the first time, Lucky Kwong will be operating at night, offering a selection of Kylie Kwong’s favourite dishes including LK’s steamed Prawn Dumplings with Sichuan Chilli Dressing and Jiwah Native Bush Mint and Uncle Jimmy’s Hokkien Noodles. Next door, the world’s first no-waste bar Re by Matt Whiley will be serving several specialty cocktails.
Other eateries on Locomotive Street will offer a taste of South Eveleigh, plating up their ‘best of’ menu items. Retailers will include RaRa Chan, Eat Fuh, Whitton, Steve Costi’s Famous Fish, Fishbowl, Bekya, Pepper Seeds Thai, Sushi Hon, North Sandwiches and Yoho Loco.
Pop-up bars will also be located on Locomotive Street and operating from 5pm–close on Friday and on Saturday from 11am to close, offering beer, wine, and cocktails.
● South Eveleigh Cultural Garden Tours – Each day in the South Eveleigh Cultural Garden, Jiwah, a team of talented and enthusiastic environmentalists will take participants on a tour of the Cultural Garden, seeking to educate on the native flora that is integral to the Indigenous heritage and land of South Eveleigh. Registrations are required and can be made via https://southeveleigh.com/
Sydney Solstice is a NSW Government initiative that is a celebration of Sydney’s world-class food and beverage, music, entertainment, arts, and culture taking place from 8–20 June. The program brings together the city’s best venues, chefs, artists, and musicians to celebrate the dynamic CBD and surrounding neighbourhoods.
For more information on the full program and tickets, please visit https://southeveleigh.com