Australia’s most famous beach will once again come alive this winter for Bondi Festival's best event to date. From June 30 to July 16, the festival will turn up the heat with 17 days and nights of fun by the sea. This year’s jam-packed line-up includes world-class theatre, comedy premieres, cabaret hits and unique interactive experiences, along with the return of Bondi Festival’s famous ferris wheel and ice-skating rink.
Celebrating its 12th year, Bondi Festival is ready to reclaim its spiritual home at the newly refurbished Bondi Pavilion and will also take over local hotspots including Curly Lewis Brewing Co and Bondi Bowling Club for a program of Bondi Festival Local events. Once again, Campbell Parade will transform into a scenic ice rink so you can skate to the soothing sounds of the sea, with push-along penguins for first-timers. Of course, Bondi Festival would be incomplete without the famous 32-metre-high Bondi Vista Ferris Wheel boasting unbeatable 360-degree views across the ocean and beach.
This year’s festival welcomes a stellar line-up of artists, international guests, national festival favourites and emerging stars. Program highlights include musical comedian Gillian Cosgriff, who won the Most Outstanding Show Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2023; the Trash Queen of Cabaret, Tash York’s Happy Hour; cabaret singer Rosie Rai’s queer singalong piano bar – 1800-Request; Cake’s queer burlesque circus and clowning; workshops with Brisbane’s award-winning spoken word and street dance firestorm Betwixt; and the electrifying, five-star theatre show Waterloo from the star of the 2022 Festival, Bron Batten. But, perhaps the hottest event of this year’s festival is the inaugural Pavilion Paw Parade, which will see a comedian-led dog parade of the local community’s cutest canines strut their stuff.
Kids can join the festival fun with an immersive Werewolves mystery game, interactive performance Ants by world-renowned contemporary theatre company Polyglot Theatre; and pottery workshops at Bondi Pavilion Clay Studio. Tickets are already on sale and range from $26-$36, with lots of free events too.