Along with the usual array of markets and gigs, the city of Newcastle will be have a spring its step with several events connected to the New Annual creative festival, including the Little Festival of street and the Big Picture mural festival.
Sunday also sees the first West Best Bloc Fest of emerging bands playing venues all day in Newcastle West.
ALL WEEKEND
Big Picture Festival If you are in the city this week, you can't miss the mechinations of this colourful, transformative large scale art show that sees eight sites gain new, huge murals. Murals will be finalised all day Saturday and Sunday.
Little Festival A whole lotta art on a small scale, will be filling in the cracks around the Big Picture Festival and New Annual. Like Saturday and Sunday from 9am until noon at Kuwumi Place, the plaza on Hunter Street between Newcastle TAFE and Hunter New England Health, street artist Indo will install a giant "crateman" made out of milk crates. On Saturday, performance artist Alan Schacher will do Sweet Separation from 11am to 4pm at Kuwumi Place, creating a miniature enclosure of sugar cubes to separate him from the public.
NewAnnual The city's burgeoning arts and culture festival will ignite the Civic precinct with song, dance and art events.
SATURDAY
Allambi Care Cinema in the Park 3pm, Speers Point Park. Free screening of Minions 2, plus food and live music.
Dashville Skyline Saturday & Sunday, 103 Kirkton Rd, Lower Belford. After three years the alt-country and Americana-themed music festival returns. Catch performances from The Black Sorrows, Frazey Ford, Andy Golledge and Melody Pool, plus music workshops, kids games, food and more.
Handmade in the Hunter Markets 9am to 2pm, Kevin Sobels Wines, 5 Halls Road, Pokolbin.
Hunter Record Fair x Big Picture Fest 9am to 3pm, The Edwards, Newcastle West.
Kabba Kaburra The phenomenal Ripple Effect Band, an all-female rock band from the Northern Territory, supported by Sengalese Afro-blues artist Ilam, will play a show at Earp Distillery, Carrington, 7-10pm.
National Young Writers' Festival Saturday & Sunday, various locations including Civic Park, Newcastle Library and The Press Coffee. Topics include The Ins and Outs of Australian Publishing, The Ethics of Journalism, Devising and Drafting and more. youngwritersfestival.org.
Oktoberfest Newcastle 1-9pm, The Station, Newcastle.
Oktoberfest on the Rogue Rooftop 2-7pm, Rogue Scholar, Union Street, Newcastle West.
Outdoor Sunset Cinema Nelson Bay Jumaniji, 5.30-8.30pm, Apex Park, Nelson Bay.
Olive Tree Markets 9am to 2pm, Civic Park, Newcastle.
Passport To Airlie Beach Newcastle grand final 3pm, Wickham Park Hotel, Wickham.
Steel City Walls Exhibition 2-6pm, Mitch Revs Gallery, 437 Hunter Street, Newcastle.
Studio Art Trail / Outside the Box opening 3pm, The Creator Incubator, 15a/50 Clyde St, Hamilton North.
Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase 9-11pm, Civic Theatre, Newcastle. Andrew Barnett, The Stevenson Experience, Cassie Workman, David Smiedt, Laura Hughes, Rudy Lee Tuarua, KevinJin.
SUNDAY
Homegrown Markets at Speers Point Park 10am to 2pm, Speers Point Park.
Maitland Community Markets 9am to 2pm, Maitland Showground.
Northern NSW NPL grand finals No.2 Sportsground, Newcastle West. The men's decider of Maitland versus Lambton Jaffas begins at 2pm, followed by the women's grand final between Warners Bay and Newcastle Olympic at 5pm.
October Long Weekend Carpark Party 5pm, Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle West.
Putty Valley Spring Fair 10am to 3pm, Putty.
West Best Bloc Fest 12-10pm, at Family Hotel, The Happy Wombat, Rogue Scholar, Jam's Karaoke, The Star Hotel and Papa's Bagels, Newcastle West. Check out Newcastle's hottest new musical talent. Tickets available in carpark behind the Family Hotel on Steel Street.
