It’s been a long time coming, but Powerhouse Parramatta finally opens this weekend! With free entry, the new Western Sydney museum will throw open its doors to the curious, creative and everyone in between on 7 November, marking the start of a 23-day Opening Festival featuring more than 170 free and ticketed events spanning music, food, performance, design, science and more. Visitors can also explore five epic exhibitions, four of which are free.
This massive program includes talks from astronauts, designers, sci-fi writers, artists and more, a live music program that spans a world of genres and cultures, film screenings from across Australia, Asia and the Pacific, food programming including a family-style dinner, cooking demonstrations and tastings, cultural performances and workshops.
The biggest on the starting exhibition lineup is Task Eternal, the most ambitious aerospace exhibition ever staged in Australia, featuring over 850 objects including a historic Qantas avro 584 aircraft, space suits and an immersive light work exploring flight, space and human perception by American artist James Turrell.
There’s also Overflow, a First Nations-led exhibition on the living principles of Water Country; The Dark, an immersive world for kids filled with over 800 objects; the Australian debut of British artist Es Devlin in Es Devlin: The Turning; and The Mall, a retrospective on the history and significance of the humble shopping mall.
As for must-see events from the Time Out team, we've picked four that perfectly mark the occasion. For an immersive live experience utilising the power of words, check out the National Youth Poetry Slam featuring American poet Olivia Gatwood. On the foodie front, Mumbai-born Nik Sharma’s shared-style dinner combines bold flavours and storytelling over a home-cooked feast, with a talk beforehand on the science of flavour. If you’re keen on music, Tamil-Swiss singer-songwriter Priya Ragu is doing a genre-bending performance exclusively for Sydneysiders. Or, you can opt to go behind the scenes of Task Eternal and hear from the exhibition collaborators on how it came to be.
Powerhouse Parramatta Opening Festival will run from November 7-29, open 10am-5pm from Monday to Wednesday and 10am-9pm from Thursday to Sunday. Museum entry is free but certain events are ticketed. To browse the full program or book a ticketed event, visit the website.
