Despite the on and off bouts of heavy rain, crowds still enjoyed themselves among the myriad of events Parramatta had to offer. Four dedicated stages, a double-decker music bus and various pop-up artists floating up and down Church St; Parramatta was simply bursting with cultural and creative energy. I chose to ignore my map and instead let the lights and sounds guide me to the hotspots.
What looked like a closed-up and abandoned carousel wheel, turned out to be the gorgeous Baroque-style Idolize Speigeltent! If you have no idea what that is, don’t worry, I didn't either. Once you pass the women in fish-nets and fascinators and the men in braces and bowler hats you are swallowed up by coloured lights, mirrored private booths, detailed carvings and ornate furniture. People were standing around a circular dance floor watching those brave enough to let loose and have a boogie under the shimmering of a disco ball.
DJ Tyson Koh was managing the beats as men and women of every age gave in to the foot-tapping and hip-swaying and put on quite a show. The disco/punk/soul music flowed and the vibe was of the ‘just go with it’ variety. You didn’t need to know how to dance, just how to flail. As I am of the latter I could have stayed here all night!
Thankful to get out of the rain but eager to see what else was on display I begrudgingly vacated the Speigeltent and made for the As The World Tipped Stage, but as the rain was still falling unfortunately the show did not go on. It was time for dinner while waiting for the rain to pass.
It took me 15 minutes to sit down in a restaurant along Eat Street; not because of the queues of people – of which there were aplenty – but because I was stopped along the way. As you walked away from one event you were greeted by another, the sounds subtly segway-ing so that you were entertained from every direction. I passed a man singing and dancing to a gramophone, a duo playing African drums, a DJ mixing beats with a stereo system created out of a garbage bin, and an old fashioned brass band led by a man with a very sultry voice. Oh yes, I lingered there for a while!
The highlight was definitely the ethereal acrobatics of A Wired Aerial Theatre production on the As The World Tipped Stage. What I thought was just a group of people dangling on a vertical platform – as if that wasn’t dangerous and exciting enough - turned out to be a mesmerising performance; an amalgamation of music, narration, projected images, dance and of course, acrobatics. The actors propelled us into a powerful tale where climate change has ripped the world apart and Mother Nature is seeking revenge. The actual rain did nothing to deter me from the outdoor event, in fact it added to the performance which aimed to highlight the direction the world is headed if environmental issues are ignored.
The image of an actor burning in flames as she fell into a crevice that pierced the centre of the earth was as horrifying as it was beautiful.
Aside from a couple of pushy patrons who were complaining their view was ruined by numerous umbrellas; the whole night was full of families, couples, tourists and locals enjoying the buzz and atmosphere of the Sydney Festival: Parramatta Opening Night.
If you missed it, don’t fret! The Closing Night is this Saturday, January 21st and is building up to be as good as the Opening! Grab the kids, grab the partner, grab your friends, (and perhaps some gumboots, just in case) and head down this Saturday to enjoy all the amazing (and free!) events!
Get down to the Closing Night - http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2012/Free/Dan-Sultan-Busby-Marou-with-special-guest-Kasey-Chambers/
Get down to Parramatta – http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2012/Venues/Parramatta-CBD/
Get down to Sydney - http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2012/
Reviewed by Lana Hilton
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