Festivals are shaped by their cities; they reflect not only the people who live there, but also the unique geography and culture of the places in which they are staged.
Cities such as Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide have a clearly defined CBD with cultural infrastructure to match, including major galleries, theatres and concert halls. Consequently, such cities enable their local festivals to truly make a mark. ‘That’s what CBDs do – they really allow you to lay a brand over the CBD so everyone knows that you’re on. It’s difficult for us to do that on the Gold Coast, because we’re 76 kilometres long across multiple sites. We don’t have a city centre,’ explains the Gold Coast’s BLEACH* Festival CEO and Artistic Director, Rosie Dennis.
