Discover Frankston like never before.  Over nine days, the inaugural South Side Festival, 6 – 15 May, comes to life with fantastical experiences and will feature close to 230 artists in over 50 performances in venues across Frankston.

Experience the underworld, where darkness turns to light; water holds faces and voices that you can walk through; look out for the vintage ute turned into a curb-side, jazz club; circus lurches from the thrillingly acrobatic to the comically playful, plus so much more.

The festival gives voice to local and national artists with contemporary theatre, live music, visual arts exhibitions, immersive experiences, installations, workshops and markets.

South Side Festival will feature a wide array of contemporary multi arts ranging from theatre, live music, visual arts exhibitions, immersive experiences, installations, workshops, markets and everything in between.

“Frankston has long been loved for its beautiful beaches but Frankston is also home to a thriving arts and culture scene.  It will be a celebration of the community and will allow for creativity to bring people together after such a long period of isolation,’’ says Mayor Nathan Conroy.

The festival has partnered with many local venues, community groups and artists from across the state and nationally.

Highlights include:

Frankston Generator

Explore the sprawling subterranean generator underground the Frankston Arts Centre.  Darkness turns into light with a mesmerising display of lighting, audio and video installations.  This immersive experience features over a thousand lighting fixtures, interactive video screens, a wind tunnel and a high-energy musical soundtrack.

Saturation is a digital water projection by digital artist Joel Zika and Collide Public Arts Initiative with Voices of Frankston choir (VOF). The performer’s faces appear on the cascading wall of water, creating a transparent three-dimensional interpretation of the choirs work to accompany their audio. Zika and Collide have worked with the VOF over many months to capture images and audio of the choir.

Reckōning is a 1-hour show depicting the intertwining of indigenous culture through storytelling, original songs and dance, tackling the modern-day effects of racism and intergenerational trauma.

Employing strong visuals projected on screen, emotionally charged song, deeply personal story telling and genuine raw emotions of anger, grief, sadness and joy.  Contemporary sound by Samuel Gaskin and The Merindas.

Circa’s Peepshow lurches from the thrillingly acrobatic to the comically playful. Expect teetering towers of balanced bodies, extreme bending, beguiling burlesque, and devilishly precarious aerials. Under the direction of circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz, Circa’s Peepshow combines some of the finest acrobatic talent to create a playfully exhilarating ride into the beautifully bizarre recesses of your mind.

Scratch Arts will delight audiences with their theatre productions, Eat My Cake, Moist, Soggy, Blankë Pøp and The Breathwork Sessions.

Composer Mindy Meng Wang shares undisclosed stories between her hometown in Lanzhou/Wuhan in China and Melbourne where she now calls home. When? takes you on an emotional journey and goes deeply into our shared feelings as human beings despite barriers of race, distance or culture.

The Bandwagon South Side Sessions

A vintage ute turned into a curb-side, jazz club. Expect The Bandwagon to pop up in unexpected places throughout the City of Frankston with some incredible musicians and experiences. From Jazz to Acoustic to African to Street, these free, family friendly sessions will bring music to the streets.

South Side Festival is presented by Frankston City Council with support from EastLink and Mandylights.

Festival Producer, Freyja Macfarlane and all participating artists are available for interview.

South Side Festival, runs from 6 – 15 May in and around the city of Frankston.  https://www.southsidefestival.com.au