AUTUMN is the time of festivals – including Arts and Food Festivals! What better place to celebrate than in Kenilworth in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland! Mark your diaries now for the 27th Annual Kenilworth ArtsFest, from 23 to 25 May 2025. This is the longest-running art competition here on the Sunshine Coast, attracting artists from far and wide.
Kenilworth Arts Council is currently calling all artists – experienced and emerging – to enter. There are sections for 2D and 3D works, with entries closing on May 6. ArtsFest is also a satellite event of the GourMay Mary Valley Food Festival, with a prize for a 2D work depicting local food production.
Apart from two years lost to COVID, the Kenilworth ArtsFest has been a feature of the art scene since 1996. It began with borrowed boards and plinths, offering a top prize of $600. Over the years, it grew in prestige, once offering a $10,000 Mayor’s Prize. Although prize money was later withdrawn, Kenilworth Arts Council pushed on, securing support from the Sunshine Coast Council.
The free Family Fun Day on May 25 includes entertainment, stalls, and hands-on art activities. At the Gala Opening on Friday, May 23, Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Rosanna Natoli will announce award winners and officially launch the festival.
For more information, visit www.kenilwortharts.org.au.
