Massive Harvest Arts Program Unleashed

As anyone who attended the Harvest Festival last year will tell you, it wasn't solely about the music. Sure, the bands were great and the main reason we were there in the first place, but what really impressed us was the vibe that was created thanks to the myriad of amazing artists, dancers, comedians and other enviably creative types who all put their little stamp on the festival.

The arts program for this year has been unveiled this afternoon and once again there are plenty of very tantalising acts that will no doubt blow our minds.

Burlesque with balls is the way that multi-award winning Australian performer Briefs is described and given their vaudeville/circus steez has just wowed audiences in London Edinburgh and Dublin, we reckon Harvest crowds are ready for a dose themselves.

The live show of electropop purveyors Bourgeois & Maurice is apparently part-twisted cabaret, part-biting theatre and part-catwalk freakshow; they've never been to Australia so we don't know from experience, but if that is the case then we are pretty amped about being a part of it.

New York's Trixie Little and Evil Hate Monkey will bring to Australia for the first time, their heady mix of trapeze, striptease and shenanigans, as well as a monkey in a tutu – just for good measure.

The Campfire Collective have curated the Vaudevillage program to open up arts space Le Boudoir again, this year's variety mash up will feature performances from the likes of Nick Coyle, Smart Casual and Shane Matheson in Sydney; Randy the Puppet, One Trick Pony, Ryan Coffey, Anne Edmonds in Melbourne; Mel Buttle, Nerida Waters and Skills in Time in Brisbane; with John Conway hosting in each city.

The finale at Le Boudoir will be different in each city as well; Melbourne's part crooner, part ringmaster, part beast possessed, Mikelangelo will present the show in his home city, with special guests The Tin Star on Saturday night and The Woohoo Revue on Sunday. Juke Baritone and The Swamp Dogs will return to the stage in Sydney, blasting out punk, gypsy jazz and pirate blues, while Brisbane will have Rapskallion taking care of bringing the house down to end the evening.

In Sydney you'll see The Snuff Box, curated by The Glitter Militia, while in Melbourne you'll have Happyland™, as put together by Sideshow and United Carnival Attractions; these spaces will be part mind-melting art installation, part shonky performance space, part frenzied futuristic fairground.

The Secret Garden, which is going to be completely solar powered, will feature a couple more stages for Sydney and Melbourne revellers; The Campfire Stage hosting Erotic Fan Fiction and Aindrias de Staic in both states, while Melbourne will feature The Mighty Nineties Power Hour, Lessons with Luis, Felicity Ward, David Quirk and Anne Edmonds and Sydney gets to witness ATYP Voices Project, Gen Fricker, Rhys Nicholson, Shane Matheson and Cameron James.

All states get The Garden Stage as part of the ticket price, featuring DJs busting out funk, reggae, electro, disco and soul for you to groove to. Brisbane audiences would be wise to look to the sky as The Cherrypicker Stage features some of the state's best aerial and circus talent, while La Toosh in Sydney and Melbourne will play host to Leigh Barker & The New Sheiks, Vardos and The Bearded Gypsy Band (Melbourne), Belly Ache Ben & The Steamgrass Boys, Mr Bamboo and The Rusty Spring Syncopators (Sydney). Also in Melbourne and Sydney, Kirsty Hulm returns with her new piece Lust For Life, which has been created for the festival.

As if that's not enough, you can get in on the action with Harmonic Bloom, an interactive augmented art installation that is accessed via smartphones, get to the Harvest website for more info on how to be a part of that.

Don't forget there are some bands playing as well!

Dates are below, get into it.

Saturday 10 November - Werribee Park, Melbourne
Sunday 11 November - Werribee Park, Melbourne
Saturday 17 November - Parramatta Park, Sydney
Sunday 18 November - Brisbane Riverstage & Botanic Gardens