Dare to Dream with CREATE 2025
Published on 21 February 2025
The countdown to Narrabri Shire’s 2025 CREATE Festival is on - with just one week until opening night!
Now in its fifth year, CREATE 2025 is a celebration of community, creativity and innovation, where people are invited to immerse themselves in workshops, exhibitions and events inspired by the dreams of local artists.
Embracing the endless possibilities of this year’s theme of Dream, CREATE will see the Shire transform into a living canvas, encouraging the exploration of creativity across a range of artistic mediums.
Over its 16 days from 28 February to 16 March, CREATE will feature 15 workshops, five exhibitions, five exclusive festival events, as well as an art trail.
In a first for CREATE, this year’s festival will include a special art exhibition from Moree's Yaama Ganu Gallery, featuring the incredible talents of artists from Aboriginal communities across Australia.
This rich collection of works reflects both traditional and contemporary Aboriginal art -offering a powerful lens into the cultural stories and creative expressions of First Nations peoples.
Narrabri Shire Mayor Darrell Tiemens said this year’s CREATE Festival aimed to encourage people to push the boundaries of their imagination and come away inspired.
“The huge array of workshops, exhibitions, events and the overall creativity on show throughout CREATE is another feather in the cap for our Shire and region,” Mayor Tiemens said.
“This year’s festival, which includes NarraBRIGHT, further shines a well-deserved spotlight on the amazing talent of our local artists, as well as artists from across the region.
“We’re also seeing communities across our Shire and region embracing this festival with incredible enthusiasm, further adding to the vibrancy of CREATE and all it has to offer.”
The CREATE Festival’s official Opening Night is set to take place on Friday, 28 February from 7.00pm at The Crossing Theatre.
Set beneath the largest Dreamcatcher the northwest has ever seen (created by the Namoi Women’s Shed), this ticketed event will also showcase the festival’s first exhibition Through the Windows of Imagination.
This exhibition features artworks from local artists living with disabilities, providing an artistic lens or perspective of the world around them.
In addition, the larger-than-life interactive installation In Your Wildest Dreams, which takes viewers through an alternate reality dreamscape, will feature in the main auditorium.
The Opening Night’s visual feast will be accompanied by an exceptional musical backdrop by Lake Kelly. Lake, who is based in the Gold Coast and Brisbane area, is an ethereal harpist and composer blending classical technique with modern soundscapes.
CREATE Festival 2025 Opening Night:
When: Friday, 28 February 2025
Time: 7.00pm
Where: The Crossing Theatre, 117 Tibbereena St, Narrabri
Price: Adult $55 – includes live music, canapes and two glasses of sparkling wine, beer or soft drink
Book your spot.
Find out more about CREATE 2025 and view the festival’s program.
CREATE 2025 has been made possible thanks to its generous sponsors: Cotton Seed Distributors, Jansson & Co, KR Property, Merced Farming, Namoi Logistics, Port of Newcastle, Santos and Whitehaven Coal.