-
play_arrow
Newy 87.8 FM Playing The Music You Know And Love
-
play_arrow
Jim’s Dairy Delites: Newcastle’s Historic Milk Bar SOLD and Undergoing Restoration Newy Staff
music_note
Ocean Baths sessions and Night Flowers party lead first look at New Annual 2026
newy.com.au – Newcastle Ocean Baths will again become a sunset live music venue and Bartholomew’s will be transformed into an immersive art party space as City of Newcastle gives an early look at New Annual’s 2026 program.
The sixth edition of the city’s flagship arts festival will run from 25 September to 4 October, with the full program to be announced in coming months. The first announced events include the return of SOAK, a free four-night series of sunset sessions at Newcastle Ocean Baths, and TWISTED: Night Flowers Party, a one-night event celebrating self-expression through costume, music and performance.
Festival Director Tory Loudon said interest in the festival was building after record-breaking attendances in 2025.
“Last year’s festival was a testament to the strength of Newcastle’s creative community and the city’s growing reputation as a cultural destination,” Ms Loudon said.
“Anticipation is running high for this year’s festival, which will once again see Newcastle’s coastline and civic spaces reimagined as vibrant stages for art, performance and community connection.”
SOAK was introduced in 2025 and became one of the festival’s stand-out events, drawing crowds to the Ocean Baths for live music against the coastal backdrop. This year’s four-night program will feature local and internationally recognised artists.
“We were blown away by the response to SOAK last year,” Ms Loudon said.
“People came out in droves to soak up the atmosphere, soak up the setting and soak up the incredible talent on show during those live music sessions and I’m thrilled to be bringing it back.”
The festival’s city-wide transformations will also extend to Bartholomew’s, which will become an art party venue for TWISTED, inspired by former Newcastle artist Damien Frost’s photographic series Night Flowers. Frost has spent the past 14 years documenting London’s alternative queer nightlife through the project.
He will return to Newcastle, which he describes as his “spiritual home”, to present a collection of Night Flowers images at Watt Space Gallery. The exhibition will also premiere new portraits of Newcastle’s queer and alternative communities, captured for New Annual.
Frost, one of the original founders of Newcastle arts organisation Octopod in the late 1990s, said his years in the city helped shape the themes of his work.
“Although the work centres on personal expression, it is just as much about community and chosen family – ideas I became deeply engaged with during the years I lived in Newcastle,” Frost said.
“There, I was actively involved in community arts projects and was struck by the strong sense of belonging and solidarity within both the broader city and its subcultures.”
Entry to the SOAK sessions and the Night Flowers exhibition at Watt Space Gallery will be free. Tickets for TWISTED go on sale tomorrow, Thursday 4 June.
Councillor Jenny Barrie, Chair of City of Newcastle’s Community and Culture Strategic Advisory Committee, said New Annual was designed to be accessible to a broad audience.
“New Annual offers a fantastic platform for new works and unique collaborations that takes art to audiences, presenting many of Newcastle’s most loved locations in an entirely unexpected light,” Cr Barrie said.
“The program is deliberately low-cost or free, providing local audiences with opportunities to engage with a range of arts while attracting cultural tourism to the city.”
New Annual is delivered by City of Newcastle with funding from the NSW Government in association with a Multicultural NSW Stronger Together grant, the Transport for NSW Permit/Plug/Play pilot program and Create NSW. The University of Newcastle is a presenting partner for the 2026 event.
Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp said the NSW Government was proud to support the festival in its sixth year.
“New Annual gets better and better every year. Through our investment across Create NSW, Transport for NSW, and Multicultural NSW, the State Government is ensuring that locals and visitors alike can experience vibrant public spaces, world-class art and unforgettable live performances for free or low cost.”
