Today Yonder Festival (QLD) is ecstatic to announce its return for 2021, bringing with it an eclectic program of tantalizing music, enchanting performances, engaging workshops, and incredible artists. Now in its third year running, Yonder Festival provides a platform to some of Australia’s best emerging artists.
Building on the energy created from past events, Yonder’s 2021 program breaks the norm of a typical festival experience by cultivating a culture of diversity, innovation, inclusion, and positivity. This year, punters are invited to dive into a temporal world of discovery where art-forms meld into new ideas and fantastical experiences in the heart of Kabi Kabi/Gubbi Gubbi Country (Mary Valley, Sunshine Coast).
Festival Director, Lincoln Savage, says he is grateful for the opportunity to be presenting the festival amidst ongoing COVID-19 challenges. “Most of this year’s program is made up of Queensland’s own, which really aligns with Yonder’s ethos of supporting local talent and providing a platform for emerging artists – it also helps us mitigate some of the difficulties around interstate travel which has been a big roadblock for festivals and gigs this year,”
“That said, we are really excited to be welcoming King Stingray and Alter Boy from out-of-state. They’re two of Australia’s most compelling artists right now and we can’t wait to bring them to a Queensland audience. We are also delighted to welcome a number of powerful First Nations and Indigenous artists to the festival and are appreciative of their involvement.”
“Yonder is built on a balance of artforms and has a focus on those artists who are just starting to break out. We encourage people to attend Yonder not because of the artists they know, but those they don’t – we hope Yonder provides an experience for people to find their new favourite acts.”
Across four stages, audiences will witness the work of both Queensland and Australia’s most exciting emerging talent, who, despite this year’s challenges, have all pushed their crafts to new heights. The Spiegeltent and Amphitheatre Stage will host a variety of bands and musical acts, from local powerhouses like WAAX, Sahara Beck, and WIIGZ, to the unique sounds of Linsey Pollak and DeepBlue Orchestra. Queensland’s respected DJ collectives and party-makers will gather in Yonderland, with friends including Shandy, NO.ONE NETWORK, QUIVR and Pocketmoth guiding endless boogie sessions into the night.
In a festival first, those looking for immersive experiences can sink into the subtle tones of ambience and experimental music at The Space Between Notes Stage, situated in an idyllic forest setting. Audiences should be sure to explore every corner of the festival site, with immersive lighting installations, curious creatures, and interactive adventures to be found.
Across the extensive arts program, Yonder will also feature a plethora of whimsical roving performances and on-stage delights – think the electric energy of House of Alexander and the daring feats of Highline Australia. The wonderful folks from Ruckus Brisbane will be bringing their cult favourites, Wham! Bam! Cabaret Slam!, Ruckus Slam Poetry and Water Aerobics, while Voices of Colour, a program of First Nations and POC talent have curated a set of powerful spoken word and music acts. At nightfall, Spiegeltent takes a debaucherous turn in a celebration of sensuality and fantasy through cabaret, burlesque, circus and comedy in the premiere of the nightly Yonder performance, Nightcap Cabaret.
A range of workshops will be on offer for the audience to explore their creativity and nurture their body throughout the festival. Yoga and meditation workshops will take care of minds, while workshops from NO.ONE NETWORK and Kitch will keep everyone up to speed with the festival rhythm.
Boutique food stalls and artisanal market stands will be enjoyed by all throughout the festival weekend, supplying individuals with a variety of dining options and enabling them to support local businesses. Yonder’s licensed bar, the Wunderbar, will feature a range of carefully crafted cocktails with beers supplied by Australian brewing legends, Young Henrys. To make one punter’s experience even more special, this year Young Henrys and Yonder will provide a unique VIP Festival Experience – keep your eyes across Instagram in the coming weeks for more information.
First Release tickets for this year’s event have now sold out, with limited Second Release tickets available. For all information on this year’s program, full talent lineup and to purchase tickets, please visit www.yonderfestival.com. Yonder 2021 will follow COVID Safe guidelines that have been approved by QLD Health.
Yonder acknowledges the traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live and work, in particular, the Kabi Kabi peoples whose country is where the festival now stands. Yonder understands that creativity and art have played and continues to play a very important role on these lands since time immemorial.
Yonder is thankful for the support received from the Australian Government through the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund, Arts Queensland through the Queensland Arts Showcase Program, and Tourism and Events Queensland through the QDEP program.
