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If you are new to Darlington, what is it all about?

The festival is a weekend filled with music and art, artisan stalls, food trucks, kids workshops and more! It runs 10am to 5pm Saturday and 10 am to 4pm Sunday (with the wine tent going all day and into the evening on both days)

Darlington Arts Festival 2021

And so it begins. Preparation for the 2021 Darlington Arts Festival is underway!

Following the AGM in March, the coordinators are busy building the playbook for 2021. Leading up to the festival in November there will be a few fabulous fundraising events including the ever popular Walk up an Appetite.

This year the 2021 festival will be back the the more familiar format; filling the oval with artisan stalls, workshops, entertainment, children’s activities and more.

Coming Soon…

Entries for Stalls, Open Arts, Sculpture on the Scarp, Youth art and Junior Art

Poster Competition 2021

One of the first highlights of the DAF calendar is the Poster Competition. We love seeing your ideas and we never ceased to be amazed at the talent that shines through in all of the entries.

The winning design will appear in publicity collateral, on posters around the Shire of Mundaring and may even makes its way on to some tee-shirts and other marketing materials.

Click here to see the terms and conditions and to fill out the entry form.

Walk Up An Appetite!

Back by popular demand! The Darlington Arts Festival progressive dinner fundraiser Walk Up An Appetite is on Saturday, 26 June.

Put on your walking shoes and be part of one of DAF’s most sought-after fundraisers. This year we have six new venues around the village centre.

Tickets: $99 per head includes a night of fab food and drinks, moonlight walking and heaps of fun!

The last time we held this event, tickets sold out in seconds! So, in the interest of fairness, this year we are trying a different ticketing system – this is how it works:

Make up a group of four people. To register your interest, ONE member from each group emails us at events@darlingtonartsfestival.com with the names of your group members. You will receive email confirmation that your group is in the draw. Registrations close 6pm Saturday, 5 June. Once registrations close, we will randomly draw 11 groups (44 guests in total) and we’ll email to let you know whether you have been successful or not. Please only register your name with one group.

Wait! There’s more!! For those who miss out, there will be one more chance to be part of this event. After the random draw, we will immediately open a silent auction for an extra group of four tickets via the same email address. Bidding will be open for three days, with tickets going to the highest bidder. Remember, all proceeds go to staging this year’s Festival.

Good luck!

DAF Events Team 😊

Coming soon…..

We are updating entry forms, terms and conditions and pages for;

Sculpture on the Scarp (coming soon)
Performing Arts (coming soon)
Open Art (late June)
Stalls (late June – early July)
Workshops (Mid-year)

Vacancies

The festival runs on love and goodwill. All advertised positions are unpaid volunteer positions.

We are always looking for volunteers to offer a few hours of help through the year and on the weekend of the festival. We are especially interested in attracting new committee members that are willing to give some blood, sweat and tears for the reward of a slice of pizza, a special Committee member tee-shirt and a camaraderie that will heal a worn out soul.

Webmaster

We are looking for someone to manage the website. This could be one person taking care of all elements, or it could be split between the front end interface (pages, text, images, forms) and the back-end email, security and overall site management.

If you are tech savvy, and interested in running (or learning how to run) a website please get in touch with webmaster@darligntonartsfestival.com. The site is currently a WordPress site but could be changed if another platform was preferred.

Sculpture on the Scarp – Installation Manager

Contact SculptureEx@DarlingtonArtsFestival.com

Looking back at 2020

Introspective Exhibition

in 2020 we held an an Art Introspective. During these Covid-times some thoughtful reflection seemed right. We felt it was important to support our local and longstanding artists by inviting them to exhibit some of their work. There were no prizes last year, just great art, available for purchase or to just enjoy seeing. Your favorites were there, Gus Skene, Vince Austin, Ric Burkitt, Amanda Smith, Noreen Burrow, Jo Meredith, Alastair Taylor, Una Bell, Neil Elliot and so many more!

L-R Janet Day, Kristy Scadden, Jan Pittman, Ian Kay, Paul Kendall, Amanda Smith, Neil Elliot, Alison Lindsay

The Early Years

We also had on display some works by some of the early festival greats – including Robert Juniper in our Early Years Exhibition in the Lesser Hall.

Have-a-Go – Junior to young adult workshops are back on

How to Find Us

We are in the heart of Darlington Village on Pine Terrace, on the railway reserve between the oval and Glen road and at St Cuthbert’s Church on Darlington Road.

Why not take the bus this year? Click here for the Bus Timetable It will drop you off and pick you back up just a few metres from the event. Transperth buses run all day from Midland Station, bus Stand 7. And from Glen Forrest back toward Midland.

Walk, drive or take the bus – this is where you will find us!

The Wall – Paint-a- Brick

It looks so good! Over the course of a weekend, a plain brick wall was transformed into a work of art, by YOU the festival visitors. We have a time lapse video of the event.

A big thank you to our Sponsors and Donors. We rely on your generosity to make this festival happen. Thank you too, to all of the volunteers that are coming to help us this year.

And of course thank you to our Committee members for the many hours of work that each and everyone of you put in. We could not do it without you! I know that you will agree that being on the committee is rewarding.

Join the committee

If you are interested in joining our committee, please drop us a line on committee@darlingtonartsfestival.com

Share your memories

Do you have some fond memories and maybe even some photographs of past festivals that you would like to share on our new website? Please drop us a line.

Sponsorships & Donations

The Darlington Arts Festival is a not for profit organisation, run entirely by volunteers. It has been at the heart of the Darlington and Hills community for more than 50 years.

We believe that Perth has some of the most talented artists going around, creating fantastic work across all mediums. Each year we love having the opportunity to share this work with the community over this special weekend, but we rely on your help! The support of donors, sponsors and partners allows us to put the Arts Festival on, and we are grateful for your support.

There are many different ways we can recognise your contribution, and would love to have a chat about how this can work for your business. The easiest way to get in touch is to contact our sponsorship coordinator, Amy Pepper amy@darlingtonartsfestival.com

Last year’s Festival

“A warm thank you to our valued Sponsors & Donors without your generous support the festival would not exist”.

We also extend sincere thanks on behalf of the many artists of all ages, performers, fund raising community groups, visitors and craft specialists who present their talents to the public each year.

Darlington has a proud tradition of nurturing artists, honouring our senior artists as well as supporting a sense of community. Our passionate committee of volunteers is dedicated to furthering this objective by encouraging people, especially the youth of our community, as well as new and up and coming artists, to participate and take up the opportunity to develop their talent and fulfil their dreams.

Our annual Festival attracts 10 -15,000 people every year and is one of the longest running FREE arts festivals in Western Australia. As well as the amazing art on display, there are performers, artisan markets, entertainment, music, food, wine and fun!

We look to you, our wonderful and generous supporters, the people who have made the last 50+ years possible, to help continue and broaden this special Hills tradition for the next 50 years!

There are opportunities for being a SPONSOR or a DONOR that attract a variety of benefits and opportunities.

Sponsorship or Donation – what is the difference?

Sponsorships are not tax deductible – see the ATO rules and definitions here. However sponsors may choose to leverage the festival for naming rights or advertising and as such receive a benefit for their sponsorship.

The Darlington Arts Festival is registered as a not for profit entity. Therefore, as a donor, where there is no reciprocal benefit, your donation may qualify for a tax deduction. Please click here to view the ATO rules .

Click here for information on how you can support the Festival as a Sponsor or Donor and I hope you will enjoy being an important contributor to this wonderful community arts event.

President

The Oval and Entertainment

For 2018 we had a brand new layout on the oval and lots of first-time events to keep the record crowd entertained.

There were 100 Artisan stallholders
A food court and big, shaded seating area
The inaugural Wellness Tent and wellness area to add a cool vibe to a hot day!
There was the community art project – Paint a Brick on the Tennis club wall
More entertainment for children
A longer music set list in the Wine Tent
The main stage was filled end to end
Saturday night was family movie night, under the stars
and all of this just a few minutes walk to the Sculptures on the Scarp exhibition at the Darlington Station Reserve.

Artisan market

It was a perfect weekend for the markets and the crowd was steady from 9am on Saturday until 4pm when we closed on Sunday. Everyone loved the new layout, and the high quality artisan stallholders that came to show their wares.

Although the crowd was in the region of 15,000 visitors over the weekend, it never felt too busy. The respite of the food court seating, the wine tent and the Wellness Area worked a treat.

Wellness Area

Expressions of interest for next year will open in June.

The Darlington Arts Festival welcomes stall holders who are interested in selling art and hand-made West Australian craft, food, produce, art/craft materials, model making equipment and books.

Commercial items produced overseas are not permitted.

We look forward to welcoming you as a stall holder at the 2019 festival.

Entertainment for the young

Family Entertainment – movie under the stars

Live music

Art Exhibitions

The 2019 Retrospective Exhibition

Back by popular demand! The DAF committee acknowledge the many great artists that helped to create this festival all those years ago. One of those founding artists was D Thornton Hick and the committee is very pleased to announce that the Lesser Hall will be home to a retrospective exhibition of his work.

2018

It was a fantastic year. Feedback from artists and visitors has been incredibly positive. With comments such as, ‘this has been the best year ever’ and ‘the standard of work was exceptional this year’, ‘the artwork was beautifully curated and flowed well’.

The Sculptures on the Scarp exhibition was a tremendous success

The Darlington Arts Festival has been hosting art exhibitions for more than 50 years. We have had an amazing , rich and vibrant past filled with incredible talent and passion.

RESERVE ART PRIZE 2018

Reserve Art Prize 2018 | Judges Choice | $10,000

The winner chosen by the judges was: Simon McArdell for his acrylic and beeswax, landscape painting – Flesh (Quarry Wall).

Winner: Reserve Art Prize 2018 | Simon McArdell – Flesh (Quarry Wall) | Acrylic, Beeswax

This work attempts to capture a moment of poise within a system of decay. The progressive flensing and destruction of a hill creating new worlds with new systems following the same entropic laws.

Reserve Art Prize 2018 | Peoples Choice Award | $500

More than 1,000 votes were cast over the weekend. We are pleased to announce that you voted for ‘Field of Dreams’ by Janet Day.

Janet’s work depicts her interpretation of the golden canola fields in full flower using bees wax and oil paint. A farmers gamble against the fickleness of nature’s elements.

www.janetdayart.com; Facbook: janetdayart; Instagram: janetdayartist

History of the Reserve Art Prize

In 2016 the Darlington Arts Festival included a major art prize. The $10,000 cash prize attracted a number of established artists from throughout Western Australia and strong interest from the viewing public. Continue reading “Art Exhibitions”

Performing Arts

Thank you to all of the performers that were a part of the festival last year. You were amazing!

Performing Arts at DAF 2021

Applications for 2021 are now open. Please complete the online form below.

Alternatively, a printable copy of the application form is available further below.

Please direct any enquiries to PerformingArts@DarlingtonArtsFestival.com.

Online Application Form for Performing Arts 2021

If you would prefer to use a paper/Word version of the form, please download the documents below and once completed, email them to: PerformingArts@DarlingtonArtsFestival.com.

If you will be charging a fee, but you do not have an ABN, You are required by the ATO to provide a completed and signed Statement by a Supplier form, A copy of the form can be downloaded here, or you can visit the ATO website to obtain a copy.

Statement-by-a-supplier-ATO-2021 Download

Performer-Terms-2021 Download

Performing-Arts-Application-Form 2021 Download

ATO website

The following link will take you to the ATO website where you can review the rules.

Statement by a supplier from the ATO

As always, the festival will feature performers from local schools/colleges plus many talented professional acts, many of whom are from the Hills community.

Please download and fill out the pdf form below when submitting your invoice.

PERFORMER-TAX-INVOICE Download