Gravity-defying acrobatics, a raucous rock opera, group dance dynamics and the city’s most scenic stage are set to cap off another hugely successful New Annual festival.
Starting off its 10-day program with a series of sold-out shows, record-breaking crowds and events extended by popular demand, City of Newcastle’s flagship arts festival will power into its closing weekend with a diverse line-up of music, art and ideas.
Acrobats from Circa Contemporary Circus preparing from their production of Wolf, which is on at the Civic Theatre on Friday night and Saturday afternoon as part of the New Annual festival.
New Annual Festival Director Tory Loudon said audiences had embraced the opportunity to experience the unexpected and unforgettable.
“New Annual is all about bringing art to the audiences across our beaches, ocean baths, parks and plazas, alongside the more traditional cultural venues, and the response to the festival this year has been outstanding,” Ms Loudon said.
“It’s been wonderful to see audiences engaging with the program from dawn to dusk and late into the night, creating a real buzz across the city from Sea Stories at Dixon Park Beach to First Night Art Party in Laman Street and the costumed delight of the Twisted Night Flowers Party at Bartholomews.
“The return of SOAK to the Newcastle Ocean Baths smashed all our expectations, with more than 5,000 people getting into the vibe with Hermitude and Claire O’Brien on its opening night.
“We’ve also had eight events totally sell out and have extended the run of Damien Frost’s Night Flowers exhibition at Watt Space Gallery to meet demand.
“There’s plenty more to come with the closing weekend offering your first chance to see a number of shows on the program, so I hope everyone jumps online to see what’s in store for the rest of New Annual.”
The civic precinct will be the vibrant heart of the weekend’s activities, with events and performances across the Civic Theatre, The Playhouse, Civic Park, Newcastle Museum, Newcastle Art Gallery, Wheeler Place, City Hall, Watt Space Gallery and University House.
This includes the Newcastle debut of the gravity-defying acrobatic production Wolf by internationally renowned contemporary circus company Circa, presented as a collaboration between Newcastle Civic Theatre and New Annual.
Having wowed the crowds at Edinburgh Fringe and toured 12 countries around the world, Wolf will take to the Civic Theatre stage on Friday night and Saturday afternoon with a thrilling mix of acrobatics, artistry and primal instincts as 10 performers push their bodies to the limit.
From raw energy to spirited conversations, Civic Theatre will also host renowned journalists Annabel Crabb and Leigh Sales as they bring their live, unscripted and gloriously opinionated podcast Chat 10, Looks 3 to Newcastle on Saturday night.
The Playhouse will offer plenty of action across the weekend, from the rock opera gig-theatre work AUTO-TUNE from re:group performance collective, which channels Silverchair obsession, millennial culture and questionable decisions, to the chaotic celebration of 50 years of Tantrum Youth Arts with an interactive theatrical adventure Press Play.
University House hosts the debut of the locally produced show Triceratop across the weekend, blending cabaret, sci‑fi, storytelling and unapologetic camp humour, while City Hall offers All In on Friday night, an immersive celebration of dance by Dance Makers Collective in collaboration with three local dance groups, followed by an “all-in” opportunity for the audiences to show off their own dance moves.
New Annual has plenty more on offer beyond the civic precinct, including the final two free sunset music sessions of SOAK featuring Gomeroi hip hop artist Kobie Dee alongside the soulful Pasifika sounds of 92WRLD on Friday followed by Karen Lee Andrews on Saturday night, blending soul, blues, gospel and rock with her Polynesian heritage.
New Annual is delivered by City of Newcastle and proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, Multicultural NSW, Transport for NSW and Create NSW. The University of Newcastle returns as a presenting partner for the 2026 event.
Visit the New Annual website for all the details.
New Annual’s closing weekend highlights
- All In at City Hall: Dance Makers Collective bring together professional dancers and three local dance schools for a joyful large-scale performance
- AUTO-TUNE at the Playhouse: a riotous gig-theatre work from re:group performance collective that channels Silverchair obsession, millennial culture and questionable decisions, all told through original music – stay after the show each night for a free gig from local bands
- Chat 10, Looks 3 Live at Civic Theatre: Renowned journalists Annabel Crabb and Leigh Sales bringing their celebrated podcast to the stage
- Curtain Call: Strut Your Stuff at Museum Park: Melbourne collective Fast Fashun invite festivalgoers to create wearable art from recycled clothing before taking to the runway
- Global Table at Wheeler Place: world-class food, live performance, and cultural storytelling hosted by writer Benjamin Law and writer and comedian Jennifer Wong
- Muse at Newcastle Art Gallery: a 20-year survey of work created by internationally acclaimed Newcastle artist Angela Tiatia
- Praxis at Newcastle Art Gallery: pairing local visual artists and choreographers to create new collaborative works
- Press Play at the Playhouse: celebrating 50 years of Tantrum Youth Arts with an interactive theatrical adventure for young imaginations
- SOAK: Live at the Baths at the Newcastle Ocean Baths: free sunset sessions curated by Urthboy (Tim Levison), with live music from 92Wrld & Kobie Dee, and Karen Lee Andrews
- The Spiegeltent with Loca Vida at Civic Park: cabaret, comedy and late-night spectacle
- Through the Lens of Tony Mott at Newcastle Museum: four decades of iconic Australian and international rock photography
- Triceratop at University House: a wildly inventive one-person gay dinosaur love story with climate change in its sights
- Wolf at Civic Theatre: a thrilling mix of acrobatics, artistry and primal instincts from internationally renowned contemporary circus company, Circa
