The best festivals are the ones that come out of nowhere and completely transform a city for one magical night.
ROAM Geelong makes its debut on 11 October, bringing hundreds of artists together for an evening that promises to reimagine Australia’s only UNESCO Creative City of Design at a scale not seen before.
Presented by the City of Greater Geelong, ROAM Geelong takes over the city’s creative precinct for six hours of art, performance, music and storytelling. The inaugural event is predominantly free, designed for all ages, and celebrates local talent with over 60% of artists hailing from Greater Geelong.
ROAM Geelong
- 11 October – Geelong creative precinct
- 4pm – 10pm
- Predominantly free, all ages
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The program reads like a fever dream of cultural experiences. A majestic four-metre-tall falcon with a 10-metre wingspan comes to life through puppetry, light and sound, transforming Little Malop Street and Johnstone Park. Tomorrow Blooms creates an immersive digital botanical world at Johnstone Park, while Platform Arts presents After Walter Hopps Remix, turning streets into a dance floor.
Musical highlights include Lost in Transmission, an immersive audiovisual performance from Geelong trio Tricircula featuring Matt Bonner, Tim Bell and Phil Bloomfield. The group blends instrumental music with nostalgic projection art, archival imagery and animation for a brand new composition created specifically for ROAM.
Local frequency showcases emerging musical talent through a collaboration between the City of Greater Geelong and GRID Series. Musical director Anthony Liddell leads a diverse lineup spanning folk, roots, soul and hip hop in an outdoor concert celebrating regional voices.
Artist-researcher Anindita Banerjee presents Arranged Marriage, a dazzling Bollywood-infused procession inspired by traditional Indian wedding celebrations. The theatrical journey down Little Malop Street combines spectacular costumes, lights and South Asian folk beats while exploring themes of arranged marriages and skilled migration through sharp satire.
For more information, head here.
