Fire up your winter with Creative Open arts and music festival, brought to you by the Northern Beaches Council!

Held from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 July across multiple venues!

Creative Open is back bigger and better than ever, with epic live music, hilarious comedy, contemporary art, interactive workshops, markets and so much more. Now in its third year, the four-day winter arts and music festival has more than 80 events across multiple venues across the peninsula.

There is so much to do at this years celebration of arts, culture and people. You can perouse market stalls at the Creative Open Night Markets at Freshwater Brewing Company (Friday 26 July, 5–8pm) or explore a range of remarkable art exhibitions and open studios including ArtBau, Smashing Times Mosaics, Eramboo, Northern Beaches Gallery, Oily Rag Studios, Le Corail, Diezel, Northern Beaches Woodturners, pod & pod and Laetitia Touyeras (check the program for dates and times).

As this year’s festival hub, Freshwater Brewing Company will host four-day Freshie Palooza, with circus, timber artisan and woodwork talks, stencil-making workshops, and an impressive line-up of free live acts including The Strides, Gold Fang, Ruby Jackson, Loretta, Edgecliff, Yasmina Sadiki, Ah Honey, ROY, Haley Holgate, Ben Harris and more. Multiple dates and times, so check the program.

Image – Hayley Mary

You can even try your hand at a new artistic practice, with workshops and talks including photography with Dark Room Social, jewellery making with The Metal Space, glass blowing with Mai Mai Glass, ceramics with Simply D Ceramics and creative writing for kids with The Imaginarium by Inkling Writing Studio. Check the program for dates and times.

And let us not forget to enjoy Happy Hour at Manly Art Gallery & Museum, (Friday 26 July, 5.30–7.30pm).

Some Feel Good Comedy & Arts

Laugh until your belly hurts, with Canned Laughter Winter Gala at 4 Pines Manly, featuring Daniel Muggleton, Laura Coleman, Elliott McLaren and Freddie McManus. Thursday 25 July, 7–10pm.
Continue the laughs at Ava Fun Time, live comedy at Avalon United Cinema, featuring Marty Bright, Elliot McClaren, Jasper Jones, Nick Bartlett, Dan Muggleton, Gary Eck and Andrew Barnett. Saturday 27 July, 8–10pm.
Drop by Manly Library to share your own music or poetry at Open Mic Night, Friday 26 July, 5.30–7pm. Pop back again on Saturday 27, 11am–3pm, for a special Zine Fair.

Festival Highlights!

ARIA Award-winning Hayley Mary (The Jezabels) performing for FREE at New Brighton’s Shark Bar, alongside the razor-sharp Thunder Fox, pop-psych-rockers Echowave, and Great Job! (Saturday 27 July, 8pm).

Triple J legends Skunkhour will bring you forward and take you back with their timeless sound, conquering rhythms, and iconic songs when they perform, supported by The Toothpicks, at Avalon Beach RSL, Saturday 27 July, 8.30pm – late.

Enjoy a great line-up of local and international acts on the Creative Open Live! stage in Manly, Sydney reggae band Black Bird Hum, local singer songwriter Ellis Hall, soul and R&B artist Lady King, the genre blurring ROSHANI, plus many more!

Image – Gold Fang by Richmond

Creative Open is a wonderful winter festival showcasing the very best of arts and music! Each year, the festival draws in visitors from across Sydney and further afield, supporting our local businesses, live music venues, artists, galleries, and creative industries. With live music they are working to reinvigorate our live music scene and night-time economy. With the support of the Live Music Office and APRA’s Live and Local program, they’ve pulled together local venues, award winning performers and fresh talent, to offer an amazing program of free live music.

Check out the Creative Open festival program for more information!