Past Events
Winter Solstice Festival
Proudly supported by Brisbane City Council
24 June 2023
The nights sure are getting chilly and the woollies are coming out but our Winter Solstice Festival will spark your senses, ignite your curiosities and feed the fire in your bellies.
Help usher in a new beginning with Northey Street City Farm, as we celebrate the middle of Winter with a festival of bonfires, lantern-parades and festivities in the dark.
Fire up your appetites with a feast of music, workshops and activities across the Farm and five stages including:
The friendly but Formidable Vegetable Sound System fresh off a sold-out national tour, sprouting electro-funk beats, and sizzling ideas to save our planet (and gaining accolades from the UN along the way). From the local farmers market to massive festivals such as Glastonbury, Formidable Vegetable are as at home on stage alongside the likes of Radiohead, Dolly Parton and The Rolling Stones as they are in their own garden.
Feel the warmth of trailblazer Huda the Goddess, national poetry slam champion, writer, educator and community activist.
Fresh from playing Dark Mofo, our youth educator Dameeeela, Yuggera DJ and artist will will create a beautiful sunset in your soul. Her radio show Biophilia on 4ZZZ morphs music around nature.
Featuring over 60 musicians, Accomplice Collective, is an evolving showcase improvising across funk, latin, reggae and soul. Get ready for a boogie, the dancefloor will be hot!
Build your garden’s resilience; through floods and drought, learn with expert horticulturalist and Gardening Australia presenter Jerry Coleby-Williams how to feed a household without spending cash.
Taste, smell and touch traditional First Nations plant foods personally gathered by Batjala man, Bruce Phillips guiding you through what is seasonal and local to the area.
Grow your own fungi that have traditionally been used to support physical and mental health with guerrilla mycologist, and fungi educator Caine Barlow.
Build a glow in the dark coral reef with artist Nadine Schmoll to explore symbiotic relationships in nature.
Blooming from a harsh decade of unsettling factors in Brisbane’s far west, Flooding, a new dance style originating in Ipswich embodies distorted and grotesque characteristics. Performed by members of theFlood dance collective, GroveMindz, this is a beautiful response to the trigger of challenging times.
Learn simple mindfulness, breathwork and mantra meditation with the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga with music to get your heart flowing.
Reconnect with nature through beats that have no borders. I.AM.CHICA intertwines melodies, electronic, and natural sounds to take you on a spiritual journey.
Feel the earth move (between your fingers) transforming clay into sculpture, instruments, and joy. Farm favourites Bob Mud and friends teach us what is most precious through earth-arts and play.
Join a Story Circle and learn about gardening sharing unpolished, raw, garden anecdotes with professional storyteller, Jenny Cargill-Strong.
Journey with Churchill Fellow and Community Gardens advocate Gavin Hardy visiting examples of some of the world’s most innovative and best community food forests.
Turn your fantastical dreams into 3D illuminated sculptures with Kory and Ramona in our lantern-making garden.
Sit down for a cuppa and a chat at Ollie’s Tea Stall with the friends you haven’t met yet.
Plus more artists to be announced!
With around 30 stalls selling a selection food, drinks, handmade items and more, there will be plenty of things to look at and catch your fancy.
We’re honoured to be a part of your community and the creativity that comes with it during this special event. Come and join in on the festivities, connect with others and share in the community spirit. You are invited to bring your own drum and join the drumming circle for the lighting of the bonfire. Enter the spotlight and perform your own poems and songs at our Community Stage.
Pay-It-Forward ticketing means we will match any ticket purchased with one we will sponsor to ensure that our whole community can come to the event. To apply for a sponsored ticket email events@nscf.org.au with PAY IT FORWARD in the subject line and we will be in touch once a ticket becomes available.
Consider coming to the festival by bus, train, bike, scooter, walking or canoe!
Choosing to use active travel to get to the festival reduces parking congestion, saves on fossil fuels and enables you to half-price tickets!* Purchase an active travel ticket if you are committed to using active travel to get to Northey Street City Farm,
or join the Pedal Party to the Winter Solstice Festival!
We understand that for some people, coming by car is the best and safest way for you to arrive. Accessibility parking for those with stickers is available for free. For anyone else wanting to secure a spot close to the festival, consider buying a carparking ticket and you will be given a designated spot so you can avoid the endless rounds.
We’re committed to making the Winter Solstice Festival as inclusive and welcoming as we can!
For the first time, we will be creating a low-sensory input space within the festival site. As always, anyone is always welcome to explore different parts of the Farm if you’re needing some time away from the festival. This year, we will have a quiet(er) space in the festival you can come to if you need to decompress, are feeling overstimulated, or just needing a bit of rest. The lighting will be low, there will be a fire to keep you warm, and some quiet activities you can do solo like weaving, drawing and reading.
If you have a support worker you’d like to attend with, any additional requirements, or would like more information about site accessibility and festival inclusivity please don’t hesitate to get in touch! Email our Events Coordinator, Kai, at events@nscf.org.au
Tickets available here.
