All roads lead to ROAM

GEELONG’S creative heart will be transformed into a living canvas this weekend when a new arts festival takes over the streets.

Billed by the City of Greater Geelong as Victoria’s most ambitious new cultural event, ROAM will bring hundreds of artists to the city’s creative precinct tomorrow (Saturday, October 11) between 4pm and 10pm.

From cutting-edge installations to internationally acclaimed performances, the program promises a multi-sensory experience of art, music and storytelling, with more than 60 per cent of its participants hailing from the Greater Geelong region.

The festival’s centrepiece is a giant falcon, which will roam Johnstone Park and its surrounding streets, accompanied by light shows and soundscapes.

A giant falcon will roam the streets as part of the one-day event. Photo: TASHI HALL

Live music will fill the park, while an “immersive” 10m dome will surround visitors with a flowing 360-degree showcase of images captured by Geelong Camera Club photographers.

From 4.30pm, Geelong Arts Centre will serve as the backdrop to a live music and dance showcase that celebrates Geelong’s cultural diversity.

The Wathaurong Cooperative Community Dance Group, Geelong Nepalese Association and Andalucia Spanish Dancing Group are among those set to perform, immersing audiences in the spirit of the region’s multicultural communities.

The renowned Bangarra Dance Theatre, a company of professional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performers will then hit the stage at 7.30pm, presenting a cross-cultural collaboration uniting Maori and First Nations stories.

Platform Arts will transform the streets into a living dance floor, Bollywood beats and costumes will dazzling Little Malop Street and internationally recognised theatre company Back to Back Theatre will open its studio doors to show SCREENSHOT, a collection of short screen works filmed in and around Geelong over the past 30 years.

Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj said ROAM would cement Geelong’s growing reputation as a cultural destination.

Little Malop Street with come alive with a dazzling procession of Bollywood beats, costumes and satire.

“ROAM is a destination event that will transform Geelong’s arts and cultural precinct into [a] creative playground, combining everything our award-winning venues and talent artists have to offer,” he said.

“We’re thrilled to bring acclaimed performers and local voices together — showcasing the incredible depth of talent in Greater Geelong for all the world to see.”

A City of Greater Geelong initiative, ROAM is supported by the Victorian government through Visit Victoria and the Regional Events Fund.

For more information, head to roamgeelong.com.au