Horizon is an annual 10 day festival exploring the intersections of art, people, and place on Kabi Kabi and Jinibara Country, Sunshine Coast.
Somewhere to connect, captivate, and challenge, Horizon is a place to wander and wonder through new art, music, performance and more.
Horizon 2025 boasts a bold new programming approach, cultivating a distinctive and authentic identity for arts in the region. Entering its ninth year, Horizon is presented in collaboration with Traditional Owners, artists, producers, organisations, businesses and communities.
Grounded in the proposition of radical hope, this year’s program asserts that experiencing art is a radical act, urging audiences to embrace collective action, shared purpose, resilience and to envision new futures.
The festival returns 02–11 May with over 50 events across 10 locations, spanning the hinterland, the coastline and the urban streets of the Sunshine Coast.
Program highlights include:
Festival Precinct – Ocean Street, Maroochydore
You’ll find a diverse collection of works nestled into streets, laneways and the Big Top Shopping Centre, blurring the lines between physical, artistic and digital realms. This free-to-enjoy Urban Gallery will feature inspiring work from visionary Queensland, Australian and internationally acclaimed contemporary artists, and is suitable for art lovers of all ages.  In the evenings, live at Solbar see BARKAA, C.W. Stoneking or Full Flower Moon Band as well as firsts for the Sunshine Coast including Queer Powerpoint, Electro House Wife and Eddie Ray – The Sequel and much more.
For the very first time in South-East Queensland: Patricia Piccinini’s Skywhales Across Australia will be presented at Horizon 25. In the form of two monumental hot air balloons, the skywhale family represents nature, family, evolution, care and wonder — it is a simple story, but a beautiful and uplifting one.
Yauar Warai Wandi – Sing, Dance, Gather – Stumers Park, Coolum
Experience a historic gathering of traditional dance groups from Gubbi Gubbi Country, celebrating culture through dance, song, music and storytelling at Stumers Creek Park, Coolum. This event marks the first time in more than 20 years that such a significant number of traditional dance groups have come together, making it a must-see highlight of the festival.
Supperclub Mapleton – Falls Farm and Mapleton Public House, Mapleton
Join artist Lowana Davies at Falls Farm for Catching a Whiff – a guided walking tour inviting you to follow your nose through the smells of Falls Farm. An amalgamation of science, performance, and olfaction – followed by a guided dining experience -a collaboration between exceptional chefs, regenerative farmers, and artists at Mapleton Public House.
REMIX Academy: Reimagining Regional
Horizon has teamed up with REMIXÂ for this special 1.5 day summit, exploring the trends shaping the future of the creative economy in regional towns and cities. From creating destinations for cultural tourism; to harnessing the collisions between nature, art and tech; to audience and consumer trends; to infrastructure and innovation ecosystems and plenty more.
A mesmerising public space performance that invites up to 100 community members to move together in an act of radical slowness, offering a rare moment of calm reflection.
Created by Liesel Zink, with sound artist Lawrence English, the performance momentarily unfolds across urban public spaces – exploring assembly and collectively as an antidote to a capitalistic era of over-productivity, disembodiment, and dislocation.
For program information and to get tickets, festival updates and behind the scenes info, head to horizonfestival.com.au and follow @horizonartfest on socials Instagram and Facebook.
