Gallery
Lithgow Ironfest 2005
Lithgow Ironfest 2008
Ironfest is an historical and cultural event in Portland, New South Wales, created by Macgregor Ross, a local artist and festival director. It is a not-for-profit event that celebrates the relationship between humanity and iron, steel and other metals. Hosted as a series of events combined under one large theme, celebrating the cultural heritage and diversity of the Lithgow region, it brings together artists, designers/makers, blacksmiths, performers of all kinds, musicians, historical re-enactors, machine enthusiasts and hobbyists from all over Australia, and the world. [1] [2]
The last time Ironfest took place was in 2019. In March 2020 it was cancelled (just 4 weeks out) due to Covid, and there hasn't been a festival since. Plans, however, are now well under way to hold the first post-Covid event at its new home the Foundations in Portland, over the weekend of April 27 & 28, 2024
Ironfest was first held in April 2000 to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the birth of steel in Australia, which occurred in Lithgow, New South Wales. Since that time Ironfest has taken out numerous cultural, tourism and business awards, and has been acclaimed as a unique regional cultural experience.
It originally consisted of an exhibition of metal sculpture, paintings and drawings accompanied by blacksmith demonstrations by artist Harry Piers, and metal music by local band, The Mullpigs. Around 25 artists participated in this first event which was held at Blast Furnace Park in Lithgow.
In 2002 and 2003, it was held at the State Mine Museum, before moving in 2004 to its current home at the Lithgow Showground.
In 2007 Ironfest was recognized by the NSW government as an event of State significance, recognizing the valuable economic contribution that the event makes to the local Blue Mountains Central West NSW region.
Each year, it has grown on average by 20% both in terms of participants and visitors. In 2008 it involved close to 700 participants and attracted over 10,000 visitors. [3] In 2009, it involved slightly more participants and again attracted in excess of 10,000 people.
In 2011 the theme for Ironfest was Steampunk which attracted a large new audience from the inner city suburbs of Sydney.
The festival went virtual in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Ironfest 2024, refocussing on metal art and handmade products, is due to be held at the Foundations in Portland over the weekend of April 27 & 28 (hrs 10 - 5 Sat & 10 - 4 Sun)
The cultural life of Sydney is dynamic and multicultural. Many of the individual cultures that make up the Sydney mosaic are centred on the cultural, artistic, ethnic, linguistic and religious communities formed by waves of immigration. Sydney is a major global city with a vibrant scene of musical, theatrical, visual, literary and other artistic activity.
Lithgow is a town in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia and is the administrative centre of the City of Lithgow local government area. It is located in a mountain valley named Lithgow's Valley by John Oxley in honour of William Lithgow, the first Auditor-General of New South Wales.
Gulgong is a 19th-century gold rush town in the Central Tablelands and the wider Central West regions of the Australian state of New South Wales. The town is situated within the Mid-Western Regional Council local government area. It is located about 300 km (190 mi) north west of Sydney, and about 30 km north of Mudgee along the Castlereagh Highway. At the 2016 Census, Gulgong had a population of 2,521.
The Byron Bay Bluesfest, formerly the East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, is an annual Australian music festival that has been held over the Easter long weekend in the Byron Bay, New South Wales, area since 1990. The festival features a large selection of blues and roots performers from Australia and around the world and is one of the world's leading contemporary music festivals.
The Nimbin Aquarius Festival was a counter-cultural arts and music festival organised by the Australian Union of Students. It was the fourth in a biannual series of festivals, first organised by the National Union of Australian University Students. The first Australian Universities Arts Festival was held in Sydney in 1967, and the second Australian Universities Arts Festival was held in Melbourne in 1969. The third added "Aquarius" to its name and was held in Canberra in 1971. The fourth and last was held in Nimbin, New South Wales in 1973.
Carcoar is a small town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, in Blayney Shire. In 2016, the town had a population of 200 people. It is situated just off the Mid-Western Highway 258 km west of Sydney and 52 km south-west of Bathurst and is 720 m above sea level. It is located in a small green valley, with the township and buildings on both banks of the Belubula River. It is the third oldest settlement west of the Blue Mountains. Carcoar is a Gundungurra word meaning either 'frog' or 'kookaburra'. Nearby towns are Blayney, Millthorpe, Mandurama, Neville, Lyndhurst and Barry
Splendour in the Grass is an annual Australian music festival held at the North Byron Parklands in Yelgun, New South Wales. Since its inauguration, the festival has also been held in various locations near Byron Bay, New South Wales, and Woodford, Queensland.
Lockhart is a town in the Riverina Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the location of the Lockhart Shire Council offices. At the 2016 census, Lockhart had a population of 818 people.
The Fleurieu Art Prize is a non-acquisitive award, open to Australian visual artists aged 18 years and older. The prize encompasses any two- or three-dimensional artwork submissions that follow an annual thematic concept and includes a monetary gift and significant exposure for the artists and their works. Exhibitions for the Prize are held in various South Australian locations, including McLaren Vale and Goolwa. The exhibitions are open to the public at places including Stump Hill Gallery, the Fleurieu Visitors Information Centre, the Fleurieu Art House and the Hardy's Tintara Sculpture Park.
Kandos is a small town in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, within the Mid-Western Regional Council. The area is the traditional home of the Dabee tribe of the Wiradjuri people. The town sits beneath Cumber Melon Mountain, in a district formerly known as Coomber. Kandos shares its locality, employment and infrastructure with the neighbouring town Rylstone, 6 kilometres away. At the 2021 census, Kandos had a population of 1263.
Portland is a town in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2016 census, Portland had a population of 2,424 people. The town was named after Australia's first cement works.
Rydal is a small rural village in New South Wales, Australia.
The Parkes Elvis Festival is an annual event celebrating the music and the legend of Elvis Presley held in early January in the Australian New South Wales regional town of Parkes. The first festival in 1993 was simply a one night performance attracting 300 attendees. From then, it has grown to become a five-day-long festival of all things Elvis. The Festival now offers more than 200 events for fans to shake, rattle and roll their way around and continues to attract more than 25,000 people to Parkes.
The Winter Magic Festival is a community festival celebrated around the Winter solstice in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia since 1994.
The Henry Lawson Festival is an arts festival held annually on the King's birthday weekend in Gulgong and Grenfell, New South Wales (NWS), Australia. Henry Lawson, one of Australia's best loved poets and writer of short stories, was born in Grenfell, and he lived in Gulgong for a time as a child. The Festival is one of the longest running arts events in NSW, celebrating its 60th year in 2017 as well as Henry Lawson's 150th birthday, June 17, 2017.
Vivid Sydney is an annual festival of light, music and ideas, held in Sydney, Australia. It includes outdoor immersive light installations and projections, performances by local and international musicians, and an ideas exchange forum featuring public talks and debates with leading creative thinkers.
Carriageworks is a multi-arts urban cultural precinct located at the former Eveleigh Railway Workshops in Redfern, Sydney, Australia. Carriageworks showcases contemporary art and performing arts, as well as being used for filming, festivals, fairs and commercial exhibitions. The largest such venue in Australia, it is a cultural facility of the NSW Government, and receives support from Create NSW and the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts. The centre has commissioned new work by Australian and international artists, and has been home to eight theatre, dance and film companies, including Performance Space, Sydney Chamber Opera and Moogahlin Performing Arts, and a weekly farmers' market has operated there for many years.
Joyce Fardell (1923–2007) was an Australian teacher librarian and advocate for children's literature. She was instrumental in establishing teacher librarian roles in New South Wales Schools, establishing the principle of teacher-librarians being qualified both as teachers and as librarians.
Fairfield Showground is a multi-purpose indoor-outdoor venue situated in Prairiewood, New South Wales, Australia. Since in the 1970s, it has been a popular venue for multicultural festivals, horse racing, carnivals, markets and club meets attracting as many as 20,000 people. Situated in western Sydney, the showground has around 10,000 sqm of undercover exhibition space and it is overall 33 hectares in size, with parking spaces for over 600 vehicles.
The COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales, Australia was part of the worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first confirmed case in New South Wales was identified on 19 January 2020 in Sydney where three travellers returning from Wuhan, Hubei, China, tested positive for the virus.