Winter Blooming Festival
August 21 @ 6:00 pm - August 23 @ 4:00 pm
WINTER BLOOMING IS A FESTIVAL THAT CELEBRATES FIRST NATIONS, MULTICULTURAL, LGBTQA+ ARTS, CULTURE, COMMUNITIES AND ALLIES. THE FESTIVAL IS AN INCLUSIVE EVENT THAT SUPPORTS DIVERSITY AND IS OPEN TO ALL.
PROGRAM
FRIDAY 21st
6.00pm – 8.00pm
Opening Night and Festival Launch
Join us for the opening of two new exhibitions Boundaries: Transcended, and Side Gallery: Road Trip, and the official launch of the 2026 Winter Blooming Festival.
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SATURDAY 22nd
10.15AM – 11.30 PM
You Weren’t Meant to Hear This – Todd Fernando
You Weren’t Meant to Hear This is a semi-performance in which four Aboriginal men gather around a table, share a meal, and speak with each other while an audience listens from darkness. The work moves through humour, silence, tension, memory, care, and refusal. It does not explain itself to the audience. It does not turn outward to make Aboriginal life legible. Instead, it holds the audience at the edge of a conversation that belongs first to the men inside it.
Dr Todd Fernando is a queer Wiradjuri-Gomeroi thinker, researcher and public intellectual whose work spans research, policy, writing and performance. His work explores kinship, belonging, masculinity and the systems that shape contemporary life. He has previously served as NSW Treaty Commissioner and Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities and was recently awarded a Paul Ramsay Fellowship to undertake The Long Morning, a national inquiry into educational disappearance and the conditions that cause young people to become invisible to institutions.
11.30 – 12.30pm
Professor Peter J. Anderson in conversation with Dr Christina Kenny
Professor Peter J. Anderson is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) at the University of New England and a distinguished academic, researcher and leader from the Walpiri and Murinpatha nations. His work focuses on Indigenous education, higher education policy, leadership and research, with a strong commitment to advancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander success through rights-based approaches to education. Professor Anderson has secured more than $4 million in competitive research funding, published extensively in the fields of Indigenous education and leadership, and serves on the Australian Research Council College of Experts. He is widely recognised for his contributions to Indigenous scholarship and leadership, and continues to champion meaningful partnerships between universities and First Nations communities.Speakers: Marina Jansen, Dr Ariella Van Luyn & Jody Ekert
Dr Christina Kenny is a lecturer in Sociology at the University of New England whose research explores gender, human rights and development, with a particular focus on colonial histories, citizenship, and gender and sexuality rights in the Global South. Her work is grounded in extensive field research in Kenya and has informed collaborations with human rights organisations across Australia and sub-Saharan Africa. Alongside her teaching and research, Christina is a passionate advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion, and currently chairs the University of New England’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee.
12.30 – 1.30pm
Panel: Speaking Truth: Art, Identity and the Power of Voice
Art has the power to make the invisible visible, transforming personal experience into collective understanding. Join artist Amera Ali, theatre maker and activist Jeremy Goldstein, and artist and researcher Alice Neikirk for a conversation exploring how creative practice can challenge injustice, build empathy and amplify voices that are too often unheard. Drawing on lived experience, community collaboration and socially engaged practice, this discussion examines how art becomes a powerful act of storytelling, resistance
Amera Ali is a Yazidi writer, artist and human rights advocate whose work is shaped by her experiences of genocide, captivity and displacement. Now based in Armidale, her writing and creative practice bear witness to the lived experiences of the Yazidi community while advocating for justice, healing and human rights. Through art and storytelling, she seeks to amplify voices too often unheard and foster empathy, understanding and hope.
Jeremy Goldstein is a theatre maker, writer and socially engaged artist whose work brings marginalised voices to the forefront through performance and public conversation. He has developed acclaimed initiatives including Truth to Power Café and This Is Who I Am, creating spaces where people share lived experiences that challenge prejudice and build connection. His participatory practice spans the UK and internationally, demonstrating the power of storytelling to foster empathy, understanding and social change.
Dr Alice Neikirk is a social justice scholar, artist and educator at the University of Newcastle whose interdisciplinary practice explores migration, belonging and community. Working collaboratively with artists and refugee communities, she creates participatory projects that use art as a vehicle for storytelling, cultural exchange and social connection. Her recent initiative, The Unity Project, brought together hundreds of community members to create a large-scale installation acknowledging refugee resettlement in the Hunter region, demonstrating the capacity of collaborative art to build understanding across cultures.
1.30PM – 2.30PM
LUNCH BREAK
2.30PM – 5.00PM
Workshop Sessions – workshop tickets sold separately (not included in your festival pass)
2.30-4.30pm (Budget) Backyard homesteading and urban foraging
Learn about the abundance available in your backyard and neighbourhood! We’ll go through the basics of how to turn your backyard into a mini homestead regardless of budget or home ownership and how to find edible and useful plants in your neighbourhood. Everyone will leave with a pot they have made themselves, soil, seeds, and a zine covering the things we have learnt.
Ellie is a gardening and foraging enthusiast with a background in bush regeneration. She has a keen interest in community building and people care as a form of resistance and sustainability. Ellie is a part of Sustainable Living Armidale’s “The Making, Mending and Sharing Web” and hosts a monthly clothes swap and mending space at the markets in the mall.
2.30 – 4.30pm – Life Drawing with Studio Maverick
Join us at Winter Blooming for a relaxed and welcoming drawing experience with Studio Maverick, open to all skill levels—from curious beginners to seasoned artists. Working from a live model, participants are invited to slow down, observe, and explore the expressive possibilities of the human form.
Basic materials are provided, or feel free to bring your own. Whether you’re looking to refine your practice or simply try something new, this is a beautiful opportunity to connect with art, community, and creativity in the heart of winter.
2.30 – 4.00pm – Build Your Story: Tiny Clay Houses Workshop
Be inspired by Boundaries: Transcended before creating your own miniature clay house in this hands-on workshop. After exploring the exhibition and reflecting on the many meanings of home, participants will hand-build a unique clay dwelling that expresses their own memories, identity or sense of belonging. Suitable for all ages and abilities, this creative workshop celebrates the power of art to tell personal stories and contribute to a collective vision of community.
7.00 – 10.00pm
Winter Blooming Ball
It’s time to get fabulous at the 2026 Winter Blooming Ball! It’s the prom you always dreamed of, the event of the season, a night to remember. Dress to impress as your true self, grab your boyfriend, girlfriend, partner, friends or slay it solo. Everyone is welcome!
DJ Betty Bilby is back in charge of the music. There will be drag and performances throughout the night! We can’t wait to see you on the dance floor!
The Winter Blooming Ball is a 16yrs+ event.
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SUNDAY 22nd
10.00am – 12.30pm
Queer Brunch
Social meet up for the LGBTAQ+ community at the Six Counties at NERAM. Tickets for Queer Brunch are free but limited. Brunch purchased on the day from the Six Counties menu. Enjoy a big brekkie or sip on a coffee.
Winter Blooming has been Produced in collaboration with Armidale Regional Council, University of New England, Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council, and ACON.
