There is loads of FREE stuff for the WOW Festival. So come on down for the day and enjoy loads of activities, workshops and more!!!!!  Some of the free things are ticketed though so have a look through and check if you need to pre-book. With limited capacities for some of the workshops you will need to book . The rest just rock up on the day and ENJOY!

Papercutting workshop

Join multimedia artist Tianli Zu for a traditional Chinese papercutting workshop. Guiding you through how to fold, cut and create, Zu will explain the symbolic meaning behind the patterns and take you on a journey to make art in the style of freehand cut, with Chinese influences.

This workshop will offer a fun, creative and relaxed experience to explore playing and storytelling with paper cuts. You will take home a green garden of your creation.

Date: Wednesday 28th September
Time: 11am - 12:30pm
Duration: 1 and a half hours

Location: Artists Studio
Capacity: 12
Age Suitability: 6 - 12 + parents

Ticket Price: FREE

Air Sticks PLAY

Led by researchers from Monash University’s SensiLab, this performative workshop will take kids on a magical audio-visual story of electronic musical instruments. Using a new electronic instrument that converts movement into sound, each group of kids will develop a collaborative performance with movements and sounds never seen or heard before. Kids will learn about connections between dance, music and lights, and the technology behind our custom built electronic instruments such as 3D printing, sensors and coding. The workshop will empower kids to create sound and music using their bodies, pushing them to the limits of technology and their own creative potential

Date: Monday 26 September at 1.30pm & 3.00pm / Tuesday 27 - Thursday 29 September 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30am, 2.30pm
Ages: All
Venue: Performance Space
Cost: FREE - No Bookings Required

Shadowland

Inspired by the exhibition ''Where shadows meet'' Shadowland invites you to drop into an immersive world and get creative with light! Use your hands and body to make shadows that tell stories, create a show for your family with jointed stick puppets and play with projectors to make colourful moving lightscapes.

Date Saturday 24 to 29 September
Time: 10.00-4.00pm
Ages: All
Venue: Switch Gallery
Cost: FREE - No bookings required

Katy Plummer Workshops + Installation

Be inspired by Katy Plummers installation YOU ARE THE DARLING ROYAL CHILD OF TIME HERSELF and get hands on with a series of make and play activity stations. Make a crown and turn yourself into WOW Festival royalty, write a letter to a Great Great Grandmother and make a crafty meal to add to our collaborative feast.

Date Saturday 24 to 29 September, All Day
Ages: All
Venue: Upper Turbine Gallery
Cost: FREE - no bookings required

INSTALLATION - YOU ARE THE DARLING ROYAL CHILD OF TIME HERSELF 

Hide, play and wonder at Katy Plummer’s huge and awe inspiring installation commissioned especially for the 2022 WOW Festival. High above our heads, a giant mother is dancing and dressing for a party. We become her tiny darling children as we play at her feet and hide under her giant skirt. The work reminds us that life in all its chaos and strangeness is a brief and wonderful gift, and that wherever we came from it was by way of a long unbroken line of mothers.

Date: 24th to 29th Sept, All Day
Venue: Turbine Hall (main foyer) 
Ages: All ages
Cost: FREE - no bookings required

Chalk Walk

Will you hop skip jump or waddle your way around CPAC this WOW? Grab some chalk and help transform our pathways into the most confusing directional signage ever. Invent a game for others to follow or create a path to nowhere. You never know where you might end up!

Date: Saturday 24 to Thursday 29 September, All Day
Ages: All
Venue: Outside
Cost: FREE - No bookings required

Re-written Workshop

Take a break from the bustle of the festival and make your own origami and paper craft using deaccessioned library books. Select your paper and fold into your chosen design then add it to our collaborative installation. Visit Liverpool City Library in October to see the pieces displayed in the library!

Date: Saturday 24 to Thursday 29 September, All Day
Ages: All
Venue: Upper Turbine Gallery

Cost: FREE - No bookings required

Have you ever wondered how filmmakers create out of this world movie sets? Well wonder no more! In this workshop, you will learn the basics of photography and green screen - the same technology used to create sets and visual effects.

Join Curiousworks artists and Miller Technology High School’s ReFill Art students to create your very own photography backdrop. Once you’ve made your fabulous artwork, you will get the chance to strike a pose in front of your work using green screen technology.

Dates: Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 September 10 – 4.30pm
Ages: All 
Venue: Artists Studio (upstairs next to Kids gallery)
Cost: FREE - Multiple sessions, sign up on the day.

Plus visit the

INSTALLATION 

Curated by CuriousWorks, this interactive installation will showcase works created by participants of the green screen and photography workshop during the first weekend of WOW. Through a webcam, you’ll be able to appear on screen and see yourself with the fun backdrops created during the workshop.

Date: 26th - 29th September 10 -5pm
Ages: All
Venue: Kids Gallery
Cost: FREE - no bookings required

Mother Tongue Community Spheres: Dance & Visual Art

Mother Tongue Community Spheres is full day workshop all about having fun, expanding social spheres, and exploring issues important to young people in our community. Share stories, cultures, languages and ideas through dance, movement and visual arts, in sessions led by professional artists. Come and make art, move and create together!

Mother Tongue Community Spheres is a community arts program delivered by Annalouise Paul Dance Theatre. Workshop artists are Annalouise Paul and Thi My Le.

Bring with you: Please be sure to wear closed comfortable shoes; bring a water bottle and a piece of fruit for afternoon tea. Lunch is provided.

Date: Wednesday 28 September
Time: 12pm - 5pm
Ages: 6 - 12
Tix: Free but bookings essential

Worlds greatest garage sale

Everyone loves a bargain, but buying second hand is also a great way to keep things out of landfill and reduce the stress on industry to keep making more stuff!

During your visit to WOW keep an eye out for golden tags on items of furniture around the place. We have collected a treasure-trove of second hand goodies from council clean ups, garage sales, Facebook Marketplace and more. Read the interesting stories behind these objects, and if they take your fancy, register your interest at the front desk to buy them once the festival is over. They will cost whatever we paid for them and you might be surprised by just how affordable (and awesome) they are!

All day every day FREE!

Gandangara - Yidaki, Musical Interpretation

Join Educators from Gandangara Land Council in the beautiful outdoor amphitheatre, listen to the sounds of parkland and the Georges river floating past.

During this workshop, Gandangara Educators will share oral translations of knowledge that has been handed down through generation to generation over the last 65,000+ years. The oral translation of the sacred knowledge of these First nations elders tells stories of survival, life skills, life lessons, wellbeing and many more fundamentals.

The Yidaki is an ancient musical instrument and these workshops will include a sensory active listening session which will bring the mind into the present, allowing space and time to participating families for reflection.

Through Yidaki usage, a musical interpretation is created by each and every individual that participates. The ancient musical instrument has the capabilities of reaching deep unexplored regions of your mind and allow you to take control of your Mind, Body and Spirit through connection to Mother Earth.

This workshop will offer a creative and peaceful opportunity for families to engage in positive mindset maintenance and an opportunity to reflect on ancient knowledge that is still important and used in the present time.

Each session runs for 20 to 30 mins, and will be located in the outdoor amphitheatre.

Program info:

Date: Saturday 24th & Wednesday 28th September 
Time: 10.30am, 11.15am, 12pm 
Ages: all ages

Where: outdoor amphitheatre 
Tix: Free bookings required for both adults and children. limited spaces available

For more information check out https://www.terracycle.com/en-AU/brigades/pawpatrol-au or email wow@casulapowerhouse.com

World Breakdancing Championships

On the final day of the WOW festival we will focus on the older kids with a takeover of the centre engaging with youth culture and the incredible dance competition Freestyle Session.

Join us before the battles for a bunch of free drop in workshops presented by the Street University crew. Try your hand at street art, learn the basic at break dancing 101 and soak up some tunes from up and coming DJ’s

Head here for more info

Date: Friday 30 September
Workshops: 1pm - 4pm
Breakdancing Championships:  4pm - 9pm

YATIMBA

Afro Step Junior™️ is a high energy fitness and personal development designed to engage and inspire young people with fun group activities, rhythmic movement and shared storytelling.

Get ready to move to our funky beats!

When: 29th Sept
Time: 12.00pm
Where: Outdoor Amphitheatre
Who: 5-12 year olds and their Families
Ticket info: Free, Ticketed (20 ppl workshop)

Ghostbear: The exhibition

Discover the story behind Ghostbear, an intensely moving picture book written and illustrated by popular TV host, award-winning filmmaker, writer and artist, Paul McDermott. The exhibition tells the story of the book’s creation and gives insights into how Paul came to write and illustrate the story of one lost, little bear and the owl who came to guide him.

Childrens gallery
All ages
All day
FREE

PAST EVENTS

Youth Makers Market

Come and support your local creatives at the first ever Youth Makers Market. Over twenty makers aged 4-18 will be participating and selling their hand made wares. Meet and chat with the makers and take home an original artwork, delicious treat or crafty creation!

Date Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 September
Time: 10am - 3pm 
Ages: All
Venue: Outside CPAC
Cost: Free

River walk and talk 

Join Aquatic Ecologist, Marion Huxley on a stroll through the riverbank and learn about the Eastern long neck turtle along with other animals that live in the Georges river. Find out what is being done to preserve the river and its inhabitants and what you can do to help!

Date: Sat 24 September. 10.30am, 11.30am + 12.30am
Ages: All
Venue: Riverbank
Cost: Free - No bookings required 
Duration: 15 mins

Pop-Up Library!

You have heard it right, Liverpool City Council Library is coming back to WOW!

Join us in the pop-up library to relax, read or lose yourself in the wonderful world of words and pictures! On Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th the library will have a range of books for your family to enjoy, sign-up for a Liverpool City Council Library card and borrow a book to continue the fun at home.

Date Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 September
Time: 10am - 3pm 
Ages: All
Venue: Outside
Cost: Free - No Bookings Required

Grand Daggy Disco

Join us in the Grand Daggy Disco!

Get ready to lose yourself in the grove, be a disco diva, pull your best dance shapes and shake your booty. Everyone will be encouraged to do their best and most daggy dance moves!!

On entry to our Grand Daggy Disco, you will find a range of fun clothes, hats and accessories to dress up in while at the disco, all items are donated by local Liverpool second hand stores and will be returned at the end of the Way Out West Festival.

Dates: Saturday 24^th-  25^th Sept
Times: 2 sessions 10am + 1.30pm 
Venue: Performance Space
Ages: 0+ and their big people
Cost: Free

Turtle Walk

Take a stroll along the CPAC riverbank but keep your eyes peeled for some special guests! Inspired by the Zero Litter in Georges River Project, Liverpool early learning centres have transformed their recyclables into some friendly turtles big and small and hidden them for you to find!  How many can you spot?

Date: Saturday 24 -Thursday 29 September
Ages: All
Venue: Riverbank
Cost: FREE - No Bookings Required

Bee Workshop

Bzzz the buzz on native bees

Green bees, blue bees and bees that burrow?  Did you know that there are over 2000 native bees in Australia?

Join educator, musician and ecologist Amelie Ecology, for a family adventure in the community garden. Through games, music and artmaking you will discover the bees needs- and what we can do to support them! Who might live in your local patch?

Presented in partnership with Liverpool City Council, City & Environment team.

Date:  Sunday 25 September at 2pm
Ages: 5-12
Venue: CPAC Community Garden
Cost: Free but bookings essential

Amelie Ecology’s Bug Orchestra

Where grevilleas grow and basil blooms, Amelie Ecology brings you a buzzing mix of Ecology- PoP tunes...

Explore the curious ecology of soil microorganisms, blue-banded bees and everyday ecologists in a cross pollination of music and science for all ages!

Bee-cause we can be ecologists too!

Presented in partnership with Liverpool City Council, City & Environment team.

Date: Sunday 25 September at 11am
Ages: All
Venue: Outdoor Amphitheatre
Cost: Free - No Bookings Required

FREE FAMILY FILM DAY

SIng 2 at 10.30am Monday 26 September. Free. No bookings required

The Bad Guys 3pm Monday 26 September. Free. No Bookings Required

BINDI BOSSES - BOLLYDANCE THROUGH INDIA 

Join Shyamla, Founding Director of Sydney's hottest South Asian Fusion Arts company BINDI BOSSES, to learn signature moves, footwork and grooves from three explosive Indian dance styles. Come and BOLLYDANCE THROUGH INDIA from South to North India to experience punchy pelvic thrusts from Kollywood (Tamil cinema), cheeky antics from Bollywood (Hindi cinema) and bouncy Bhangra from Punjab.

ABOUT

BINDI BOSSES is a progressive, matriarchal South Asian Fusion Arts company based in Warrang (Sydney) that seamlessly blends Traditional Indian Classical and Folk dances with influences from South Asian Cinema and Street dances from around the world. It provides a

When: 26th Sept
Time: 1.30pm
Where: CPAC Theatre
Who: 5-12 year olds and their Families

Ticket info: Free, Ticketed (30 ppl workshop)

Creative Writing Competition

Liverpool Youth Council is challenging local Liverpool primary and high school students to take part in our creative writing competition to be in the running for some fantastic prizes! Think BIG, be IMAGINATIVE and submit your 600 word story on the theme - How would you bring liverpool to life? 

Prizes will be awarded to the best responses across two categories Primary (Students in Years 5 and 6) and High School (Student in Years 7-12).  First prize: $200 voucher, Second prize: $100 voucher, Third prize: $50 voucher

A selection of entries will be displayed in the Turbine Hall throughout the WOW festival for 1000’s of visitors to read. Winners will be announced during the Way Out West Festival on Sunday 25th September at 3pm.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Read the Competition Terms and Conditions to find out if you’re eligible: liverpool.nsw.gov.au/writingcomptandcs

• Write a response in 600 words or less in response to the question: How would you bring Liverpool to life?
• Submit  (email) your entry to CouncilY@liverpool.nsw.gov.au make sure you include your full name, school, year group and a phone number.

When: Entries close on Sunday 11 September at 11.59pm.
Winners Announced: Sunday 25 September 3pm
Exhibition: 24 September - 30 September 
Cost: Free