Sydney's Newtown Festival Announces 2015 Date, Location & Theme

The feelgood, charitable vibes of the annual Newtown Festival will return to Sydney this year, it has been confirmed, with organisers revealing the date and location for the yearly Newtown Neighbourhood Centre fundraiser, which in 2015 is deemed a celebration of "Newtopia".

Picking up where last year's vision of a "Newtown Republic" left off, "Newtopia" is a living tribute to the abundant creative juices that flow through the suburb's veins, its ties to the NNC — the event's annual presenting partner — a statement of its continued community pride and engagement, which punters will be able to experience for themselves this year on Sunday, 8 November, at Camperdown Memorial Rest Park.

As with previous Newtown Festival events, organisers are expecting well into five-digit numbers (historically the crowd has numbered more than 90,000 over the course of the festival) for attendance in a colourful, wonderfully cacophonous convergence of music, the arts, and grassroots activity. Attendees will be able to make a gold-coin donation to go directly towards the Centre's programs for vulnerable and disadvantaged people.

The Newtown Festival is presently putting together this year's live-music line-up, with an announcement due in mid-September. Ahead of that, artist applications will open mid-next month, with a closing date of 31 July. There will also be a spot reserved for the winner of the Sydneyvision Song Contest — the city's answer to Eurovision — so if you'd like to rep your suburb at Newtopia (and stand to win $500), head to Sydneyvision's website for details on how you can.

Otherwise, if you'd like to play at this year's Newtown Festival, or for more information, see the event's website.