Berry was transformed into a living artwork over the weekend as the 2025 OpenField Arts Festival brought the town to life with a vibrant mix of art, music, parades, parties, and community spirit.

Now in its second edition, following its debut in 2023, the festival featured 24 artist projects, including installations, sculptures, video works, performance art, workshops, and events held across a variety of local venues.

The idea for the festival was born during the COVID pandemic, according to founding member and Artistic Director Lenka Kripac.

“It was COVID and I'm actually a musician but at that time I couldn't tour or anything so I was a bit restless creatively,” said Kripac.

“But it was also about looking around our town in Berry and seeing that there were lots of artists, lots of creatively engaged people, but no arts infrastructure. We don't have a gallery, we don't have a music venue, we don't have a cinema.

“And we thought, you know what? We need to have something in this town where creatives can meet and collaborate and show one another their work and celebrate. So we chose a festival model, partly because we have such fabulous buildings and spaces in Berry that are available to hire.”

Photos from the First Nations exhibition. Photo: Supplied

In addition to the exhibitions and art installations, the festival featured lively evening events such as a cabaret night and a DJ-led discotheque.

“Then we had parties at night, like a cabaret night and a DJ night and everything was great. It was really well attended,” said Kripac.

“There was a really warm vibe, people were really friendly and there was a feeling of connection and authenticity on the streets. We don’t have the exact number of people who attended yet, but I’d say it was in the thousands.”

One of the standout features of the 2025 festival was the inclusion and celebration of First Nations artists, including what Kripac believes may have been a world first.

“There was a First Nations hub in the rural youth hall which was amazing. They turned it into a skill sharing, yarning space and there were workshops going all the time, as well as some very talented up and coming First Nations artists showing and selling works,” said Kripac.

“And then there was also a panel and a beautiful performance by a violinist from Sydney called Eric Avery, who performs his ancestral songs, but with a classical violin style. We even had Gadhungal Marring performing didge and dance and song at our burlesque cabaret night, which was possibly a world first.

Photos from the burlesque cabaret night. Photo: Supplied.

“Definitely nothing I've ever seen before to have that combo of local First Nations plus classic French burlesque.”

Another festival highlight was the colourful street parade, which saw the main street of Berry shut down as costumed participants and musicians marched with signs and energy.

“We shut down the main street of Berry and made a lot of noise with a brass band from Wollongong called the Femme Fatales. People labelled it soft activism. Everyone has the intention of trying to get word out about issues of the day, but it didn't feel like a protest. It felt like a celebration of our artistry and creativity and passion,” said Kripac.

Photos from the street parade. Photos supplied.

Kripac is optimistic that the festival will return in 2026, especially after this year’s success.

“It will be back again, but it's going to be a constantly evolving umbrella brand. We know that this works, but it is really challenging to put on as a non-profit volunteer-run arts organisation,” said Kripac.

“We may need to evolve it into something slightly different in the future. But so far for the first two festivals, this has worked, but really because of the blood, sweat and tears of the entire town making it happen. I don't know if that's sustainable forever, but there's so much joy and energy behind it.”