Activity in the Centre of Town
Earlier in the year, the council sought expressions of interest from local and high-profile event organisers to run events or festivals on the site. The successful submission from Bamboozled Productions has proposed two outdoor open access festivals on the temporary space.
A two-day Christmas festival saw performances from local community arts organisations mixing with world class jugglers, acrobats, comedians and magicians while a street arts festival in March 2024 will include aerial performers offering an entertaining and accessible form of performance art to the community and visitors.
As well as producing festivals, Bamboozled Productions design and build performance tents that have been used in the Garden of Unearthly Delights and Gluttony spaces at the Adelaide Fringe each year. Both of the proposed festivals will feature at least one of these tents as a performance space to attract even more visitors to the pop-up town square.
“These completely free events will see Mount Barker’s CBD turn into a feast for the senses bursting with colour, live performances, food trucks and entertainment galore, Mayor Leach said.
Bamboozled Director, Louise Clarke assures that GET FESTIVE! will be a feast for the senses.
“We’re so excited to bring our special brand of festival magic to one of the fastest growing regions in the country,” Ms Clarke said.
Across both festivals, a total of 79 artists, arts workers, production crew, tradespeople and security staff will be employed, and wherever possible local companies and local suppliers will be used.
After launching with GET FESTIVE! the Pop-Up Park will play host to a range of community events over the warmer months, featuring performances by local bands, choirs, theatre groups and dance schools, as well as live painting demonstrations, art markets, and mural painting workshops.
Bamboozled will also bring a taste of Mad March to Mount Barker when the region’s first ever street arts festival sets the township alight with roving performances by what Ms Clarke says will be “some of the best street artists in the nation.”
The Pop-Up Park along Morphett Street will be available for public use for approximately 12 months until the end of 2024.
