4 August 2023

Penrith will come alive with ‘Creative Penrith by Night: A Summer of Art for Everyone’ thanks to the NSW Government’s Western Sydney Culture Up Late initiative.

In this coming spring and summer, arts and culture will take over the streets during evening events in Bankstown, Camden, Liverpool, Penrith, Campbelltown, Cumberland, Parramatta, and Fairfield.

The ‘Creative Penrith by Night’ program features everyday art experiences for everyone, including a Live and Local series of contemporary music performances, experimental music interventions, Ghost, an immersive location-based theatrical experience, two presentations of Tim Ross’s ROSSO 88 and a series of live art-making classes for adults.

The Culture Up Late program provides support for 11 programs involving parties, arts show’s, live music, walking tours and cuisine across local arts venues, museums, galleries and cultural centres.

The NSW Government’s Western Sydney Culture Up Late initiative supports local arts and cultural organisations to develop new programs, engage new audiences and create vibrant local precincts connecting local restaurants, bars, retailers, and transport providers, through activations targeted to an after 5pm audience.

The 11 successful grant recipients sharing in $1.9 million in funding are:

·         ACE after Dusk: A new night-time cultural event series - Arts & Cultural Exchange Inc

·         Art Nights: Culture Alive @ Bankstown - Canterbury Bankstown Council         

·         Blacktown After 5 - Blacktown Arts and Vyva Entertainment - Blacktown City Council

·         Camden's Cultural Fusion - The Council of Camden   

·         Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre Up Late Program - Liverpool City Council

·         Creative Penrith by Night: A Summer of Art for Everyone - Penrith Performing & Visual Arts

·         Culture Up Late @ Campbelltown Arts Centre - Campbelltown City Council

·         Culturvate: Exploring art, cuisine and culture - Powerhouse Youth Theatre Inc.

·         Granville Centre Art Gallery presents a series of Late events - Cumberland City Council            

·         Parramatta Up Late Program - City of Parramatta

·         TO YOUR DOOR Fairfield Nights - Think & DO Tank Foundation

Minister for the Arts John Graham said:

“We are declaring war on the lure of the couch with these nighttime cultural events. It is part of Sydney bouncing back after a tough decade after dark. The program ensures that culture up late funding extends to Western Sydney."

"The Western Sydney Culture Up Late program showcases some of the most exciting cultural offerings Sydney has to offer. These precincts are already key cultural destinations, and this coming spring to summer they'll become undoubtedly Sydney's must-visit locations."

“As we are working on developing the first ever cultural strategy that includes the creative industries the initiatives in the Culture Up Late program are exactly the types of dynamic programming I want to see more of – programs that will enliven their regions and provide greater employment opportunities for performers, creatives and arts workers.”

Member for Penrith, Karen McKeown said:

“The Culture Up Late Program Creative Penrith by Night: A Summer of Art for Everyone will illuminate the city with a vibrant atmosphere under the starry sky, fostering a sense of community and appreciation for the arts.”

“Penrith will be buzzing with live music, and curated events taking place in and around our city’s unique local restaurants. Penrith has a fast-growing night-time economy and thanks to the Culture Up Late Western Sydney initiative, we can invite our communities to share in these unmissable and exciting experiences.”

For full details of the programs supported by Western Sydney Culture Up Late visit: www.nsw.gov.au/grants-and-funding/western-sydney-culture-up-late-program