Castlemaine State Festival
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Bumper State Festival launches
Melbourne-based dance crew, the Jungle City Dancers, pumped up the crowd during Castlemaine State Festival’s opening-night dance party in Mostyn Street last Friday night. Launching 10 days of events celebrating the festival’s 50th year, the enormous and varied program includes the highly anticipated production of Castlemaine The Musical, eight nights of entertainment at the Castlemaine…
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Award-winning author to launch new memoir
Local author and illustrator, Trace Balla is set to launch her latest book Treeshape – the shape of a tree, the shape of me as part of the 2026 Castlemaine State Festival. The book launch and a sold-out workshop will take place at the Phee Broadway Theatre this Saturday March 21. An extraordinary, inspiring and…
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Back from the brink
Bouncing back from the impending oblivion that often ensues after voluntary administration, the Castlemaine State Festival will kick off its 50th anniversary event this Friday with its trademark street party. Seasoned festival directors Martin Paten and Linda Sproul, whose collective expertise and guidance have steered the festival to safer waters, are humble about their role…
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‘Maine to host Dance Summit
Dancers, educators and dance professionals from across regional Victoria will gather in Castlemaine for a full day of movement, creativity and connection at the Regional Dance Summit on Sunday March 22. Presented by Ausdance VIC and Movement Zone as part of the Castlemaine State Festival, the Summit is designed to bring Victoria’s regional dance community…
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A night of musical brilliance
The Castlemaine State Festival is presenting an extraordinary evening of classical music featuring two Australian musical virtuosos, Richard Tognetti and Konstantin Shamray, on Friday, July 4. The program will span works by Bach, Schubert, Ravel and Brahms, promising a whirlwind of virtuosity and emotional depth. This event marks the festival’s third and final classical performance…
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Highlighting rich heritage
It’s been a roller coaster year for the Castlemaine State Festival, which is now preparing for its triumphant return in 2026 and its 50th anniversary celebrations. Following heavy losses from the 2023 festival, Australia’s longest-running regional multi-arts festival was forced into voluntary administration in March 2024. A few months later, the committee announced it had…
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Prestigious pianist to perform
Breathtaking Canadian pianist Kevin Chen will grace the stage at the Phee Broadway Theatre in Castlemaine for a remarkable performance on Thursday November 14. Presented by Castlemaine State Festival in partnership with Live At Yours, this performance offers an opportunity for audience members to witness one of the most exciting talents in classical music today.…
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Fostering artistic conversations
The Castlemaine State Festival is hosting an arts workshop with Irish artist Julie Lovett (from Castlemaine, County Kerry, Ireland) this Sunday, as part of the weekend-long TEDxCastlemaine event. During the workshop, Julie is hoping to delve into conversations around shared community spaces and what home feels like. “It will be fascinating to experience some of…
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STATE FEST IN STRIFE
The Castlemaine State Festival has been placed into voluntary administration. The local arts community was in shock late last week when the festival board announced the move to community members and supporters. The news comes in the wake of the cancellation of numerous music festivals and events across Australia. With rising overheads, contractions of funding,…
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Festival calls for input
Operating in a post-Covid and economically unstable environment has proven challenging and CSF is currently facing financial uncertainty.
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Essays on Earth
The Castlemaine State Festival continues this week. Last Saturday, video installation Essays on Earth was unveiled at The Goods Shed. The multichannel video installation, which slowly unravels around the internal walls of The Goods Shed like a Japanese scroll, is built around Paul Kane’s sonorous reading of his epic poem on the themes of earth,…
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2023 festival line-up revealed!
A huge crowd packed The Goods Shed on Saturday morning for the launch of the impressive 2023 season line up for the Castlemaine State Festival’s highly anticipated 24th biennial event. The diverse curation of the very best local and international arts talent and events will bring focus to Castlemaine, spotlighting the arts culture of the…