Riverbeats beats Halloween

All Hallows' Eve and the contemplation of which costume party or musical monster mash gig to attend, to dress up or to reject the tradition, to spend lots of money or take it easy on the drinks, and then to end up abandoning all fronts and heading off towards neither, nor.

Who knew that the best thing happening in Sydney on a Saturday, more so Halloween Saturday, would be happening in Parramatta, at a family oriented cultural festival celebrating water, music, sound and light?

Over the river, immediate awe strikes as giant spheres and light towers of moving light and projected images reflect into the water and dominate in a kaleidoscopic wonderland. Masses of comparatively tiny people mill around the area, their shadows multiplying against the usually ugly and oppressive apartment blocks towering borders on either side of the channel, now with swirling rainbow skins in constant transition.

Trees illuminate as if the etchings of fairy tales and magic spills out of each person in green, blue, yellow and red hues as they collectively gaze wonder- filled into giant balls of light that look about to take off like hot air balloons into the glittery night sky where beams of light waver and intersect rhythmically.

Young and old feast their ears upon a fusion of different cultural beats from the far away stage, blown up and projected with shadow puppet accompaniment and poetry dedications and overall sensory bliss.
Not long after our arrival onto the grass, mythical monster creatures enter the crowd with stakes of fire as another, string operated and with a dragon paddles upstream in a fire lit wooden boat. Decoder Ring enter the stage for an ambient instrumental set of dreamy but epic soundscapes putting us in just the place we wanted to be in whilst peering into the hypnotic stimulus I can only assume they must have brought with them- dividing cells, haunting sea life, fluttering eyelids and beautiful passing landscapes.


The musical grand finale features a brew of prior opposing forces starting with the vibrations of one didgeridoo spilling into every empty pocket of the space, then joined by all earlier performers to combine streams of jazz melodies with energetic African beats, flamenco jives and psychedelic electronic undertones for one massive multicultural jam sesh .

The awe is then brought to climax in a spectacular fireworks display from atop a neighbouring building into the clearing directly above us, showering us in speckled bursts of ear splitting glee!


All this and we still managed to be home before midnight ready to pass out from the inebriating effect of tasty tasty stimulus. Riverbeats: take the ride next year.

First two and last picture courtesy of Alexander (a much worthier photography than I- check out his blog, he may delight you with some moving riverbeat images sometime soon!)