Bondi Festival 2022 returns with playful and immersive experiences

The three week Bondi Festival is returning in 2022 and promises to offer visitors playful and immersive experiences in various locations across Bondi from 1st-17th July.

Presented by Waverley Council, in partnership with Bondi and Districts Chamber of Commerce, Bondi Festival is a boutique arts and performance festival including a family-friendly entertainment hub and features performers, storytellers and creators from Sydney and beyond, sharing everything from digital to physical, including new works in unusual places.

The famous Bondi Vista Ferris Wheel makes a return to the Festival, providing a birds-eye view over Bondi Beach while the Bondi Festival Ice Rink offers visitors opportunity to swap surfboards for skates.

Mayor of Waverley, Paula Masselos, said Bondi Festival is just one of the ways Council is supporting the local arts industry and small businesses during this period of economic recovery after lockdowns.

Mayor Masselos notes “we’ve played with new ideas and ways of engaging with our local performers and entertainers to give Sydneysiders and those visiting us from interstate and overseas a festival to remember.”

Festival Director Rachel Chant advised “Playful, immersive and tailor-made, this year’s program takes over Bondi for three weeks of art and playful audience experiences. Go ice-skating by the beach or commune with the dead in a mysterious location, date an artist live on stage or take in a panoramic view of the coastline on the Bondi Vista Ferris Wheel. We’ve turned our sights locally this year, and I couldn’t be more excited by the gems we’ve programmed throughout the suburb.”

Opening weekend kicks off with @AbuSalim, a wild, gender-bending, comedy mash-up created by Randa Sayed and hosted at Badlambs Barbershop.

Experience a bit of magic each Friday and Saturday night, by hopping on a mystery bus and shuttling off to an undisclosed location for a theatrical séance from magician Harry Milas that promises to be equal parts hilarious and terrifying.

Week two and three are all about contemporary immersive performances. I Liked It, But… from artist Joel Bray transforms the Bondi Bowlo into a pub trivia night, taking contemporary dance out of the theatre and into the Bowlo to see what passes the pub-test.

Stroll into Exquisite Corpse at Sparky the Library Van at Bondi Beach for one-on-one storytelling experiences, where this time it's the young people who sit you down and read you a story from once upon a time.

Or pop on your headphones for a walking tour through North Bondi. Curated by children from Galilee Catholic Primary School in collaboration with grown up artists, discover the magic of their neighbourhood through their eyes.

Closing the festival is Onstage Dating with multi-award-winning performer, theatre-maker and producer Bron Batten. Watch her negotiate first dates live on stage, from the safety of your seat, or volunteer to be part of the action as Bron takes modern romance to the next level.

Like to be a part of the action, but away from the crowds? Download Acqua Profonda: A Trilogy. Available throughout the festival, Acqua Profonda is a trilogy of aquatic dramatic audio works designed to be listened to on the beach. Written by three queer Sydney-based writers, and scored by composer Oliver John Cameron, each story responds in its own way to the depths and truths our oceans and waterways contain. Pop in your earphones, stare at the surf, trust the instructions, and be transported into three different worlds. Not near the beach? Find your own body of water – river, dam, bathtub – and dive in (figuratively).

Each day of the festival allows for spectacular 360 views from the Bondi Vista Ferris Wheel, or encourages family skates and first dates on the world-famous Bondi Festival Ice Rink.

In addition, this year’s program debuts Bondi Festival Local, where local venues present their own arts events, including everything from music gigs to foodie events.

In 2022, Switzerland Tourism returns as Bondi Festival’s Leadership Partner and Hours After return as the Festival’s Branding Partner.

Bondi Festival runs 1st - 17th July. For full details and more information, please visit bondifestival.com.au/

Images from top: Bondi Vista Ferris Wheel; Bondi Festival Ice Rink; Exquisite Corpse; Onstage Dating. Credit Theresa Harrison Photography