Moon Festival at Darling Harbour
Photos courtesy of Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority
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| Country and Region | Australia — New South Wales |
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| Type of Festival | Dance, Drama, Music |
| Location of Festival | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Festival Address Information | Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority |
| Festival Description | Share the magic of the Moon Festival at the Chinese Garden, Darling Harbour. Celebrating one of the most important events in the Chinese cultural calendar, the Moon Festival is an enchanting evening for all to enjoy from 11 – 13 September. From 6:00pm, the Chinese Garden will transform into a haven of Asian celebration with dramatic lion and dragon dancing followed by a spectacular light show embellishing the glorious elements of the Garden. The Moon Festival performance tells the legendary story of the ‘Lady on the Moon’ featuring state of the art lighting, projected images, sound scapes and pyrotechnics accompanied by traditional Chinese orchestral music. Complementing the performance will be delicious Chinese cuisine from the Golden Century with traditional moon cakes from Vinh Huang. The Moon Festival is a special time to visit the Chinese Garden as audiences can marvel at the full moon during its brightest time of year — the southern equinox – and see the beauty of the garden in spring-time bloom. The Moon Festival is deeply imbedded in the centuries-old Chinese tradition of celebrating the beauty of the full moon with loved ones, singing moon poems and sipping wine. Traditionally a time to reflect upon the bounty of the summer harvest, the Moon Festival celebrates the fullness of the moon and the myth of the immortal Goddess, Chang O, who lives in the moon. Today, moon cakes are also eaten during the Moon Festival to commemorate the liberation of China. The Chinese Garden of Friendship is one of the few traditional public Chinese gardens created outside Asia. Visitors can discover the rich Chinese culture as they journey through the Garden’s winding pathways, taking in its charming landscapes, pavilions, waterfalls and lakes. |
| Festival Dates | September 11 - 13, 2008 |
| Festival Links | http://www.darlingharbour.com/ |
Festival Events:
Programming selections 2008:
- Watch the full moon rise. Thousands of people are expected to converge on Elder Park to enjoy the day and to experience the moonrise. Bring the family along to this free event — Asian cuisine, moon cakes and lanterns will also be available for purchase. The full program for the Moon Lantern Festival can be downloaded from the website http://www.ozasiafestival.com.au
- Australian exclusives, such as heart-warming traditional Korean fairytale The Tale of Haruk (17 – 20 September), the fast-selling anime rock musical Once Upon a Midnight (23 – 25 September) and Indian music masters led by sitar star Purbayan Chatterjee in the Shastriya Syndicate (24 September), as well as the Chinese spectacular dance drama Shaolin in Wind on the Festival’s closing night (28 September).
- Other highlights, include an evening of new classical music by Asian-influenced Australian composers, featuring well-known local musician and Artistic Director of Soundstream Contemporary Music Ensemble, Gabriella Smart, in Ecstatic Dances (23 September), and Chika, the true story of Japanese tourist Chika Honda who spent over a decade in an Australian jail for allegedly importing heroin — a crime she has always insisted she did not commit (26 & 27 September).
Free/low cost events 2008:
- A variety of visual art exhibitions, performances and workshops.
- Confluence, featuring drawings, paintings and terracotta work by Adelaide-based artists Gus Clutterbuck and Pramod Kumar. 10 September – 12 October.
- Ose Tara Lia (I See Nothing), an exhibition of Indonesian artist Heri Dono’s politically poignant yet humorous artworks in collaboration with local artists and emerging Indonesian artist Jumaadi. 13 September – 19 October
- Home Sweet Home, an exhibition of Jumaadi’s grass puppets (“wayang rumput”) leading from the Dunstan Playhouse Foyer to the Artspace. 13 September – 19 October. Jumaadi will also host Indonesian storytelling sessions and grass sculpture demonstrations in the Space Theatre foyer 17—19 September. Note: Registration for the “Home Sweet Home” workshops from 17 – 19 September are essential and can be made by phoning +61 (08) 8205 2220
- Adult writing and poetry workshops hosted by Australian writer/singer Jan Cornall and Indonesian poet Sitok Srengenge from the performance Take Me to Paradise. 25 September – performance on 27 September
- A performance on the Artspace Plaza incorporating large-scale projection, shadow puppets, traditional Gamelan music, dance and song, featuring Heri Dono, Jumaadi and Australian Indigenous performers. 26 September
- Demonstrations of Ikebana, the ancient art form of flower arranging, by Japanese-born, Sydney based Ikebana specialist Master Yoshiro Umemura. 26 and 27 September
Practical Info:
Venue:
- Darling Harbour Chinese Garden
Phone: +61 2 9240 8888
Fax: +61 2 9281 6334
Email: chinesegarden@shfa.nsw.gov.au
http://www.chinesegarden.com.au/
Hours:
- From 6:00pm
Tickets 2008:
- Cost
Adult $10
Child $5
Under 4 years of age entrance is free
Family (2 Adults, 2 Children) $24 - Available for purchase beginning August 18, 2008
Awards:
- The Moon Lantern Festival was recently awarded the 2008 Ruby Award for “Community Impact” for the 2007 event. The OzAsia Festival also received the 2008 Hong Kong Australia Business Association Award (SA Chapter) for importing of services.
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