Festival Forecast: High creativity with a chance of radical hope on the Horizon

Ready for an escape from the humdrum of the everyday? Look to the Horizon! This autumn, the Sunshine Coast shakes off routine and stretches towards all things bright, bold and imaginative… And this year, Horizon Festival is marking a decade of doing just that.

Running from 1–10 May on Kabi Kabi and Jinibara Country, this ten-day celebration of art, people and place transforms beaches, galleries, streets and unexpected corners of the coast into a living, breathing playground for creativity. With more than 35 events (many of them free!) spanning visual art, music, performance, First Nations gatherings, workshops and family-friendly experiences, Horizon invites you to jump right in and become part of the story.

The adventure begins at Caloundra’s Kings Beach on 1 May, where Horizon’s Opening Night will celebrate ten years of making magic with live music, creative play and artful surprises spilling out beside the sea. From there, the festival fans out across the region: gathering at Coolum’s shoreline for ‘Yauar Warai Wandi – Sing, Dance, Gather’, where Gubbi Gubbi songs, dances and stories move with the tide; heading indoors for the heat and rhythm of Nancy Denis’ ‘M’ap Boulé’; or sinking into performances that push boundaries, from the immersive double-bill dance work ‘Exoticism & Kuramanunya’ to the electric queer contemporary energy of ‘The Butterfly Who Flew into the Rave’.

Music pulses through the program too, with highlights like Big Noter – the all-new project from Yorta Yorta/Wurundjeri/Wemba-Wemba icon BRIGGS – while words take centre stage at the partnering Sunshine Coast Hinterland Writers Festival, a long weekend of conversations and ideas nestled among the hills. Families are warmly welcomed at Horizon, whether it’s dancing shoulder to shoulder at Horizon Dance Hall, discover Jinibara wisdom about Medicinal Plants through stories, art and interactive displays, settling in for a Family Film Night, or exploring the region’s creative depth through the Local Contemporary Art Prize at Caloundra Regional Gallery. BLAK OUT features bold visual installations, immersive performances and community-led workshops, while the Namba Artist Market is the perfect destination on the 4th of May.

Then there’s ‘Radical Hope Machine 2’: an immersive exhibition at Caloundra’s new Library+ that will fuse textiles, technology and storytelling. Featuring textile artist Shaye Hardisty, award-winning author Peter Carnavas and artist Sarah Winter, this sequel to Horizon 2025’s ‘Radical Hope Machine’ explores what hope looks, feels and sounds like to the Sunshine Coast community in response to the question: ‘how to solve the world’s wicked problems?’ It will be co-created with the community during three creative workshops, so if you’ve ever wanted to explore the limits of your imagination, head over here to register and participate!
The exhibition invites you to expect the unexpected – like ‘magical’ clothing that speaks to its wearer. Yes, really: Shaye Hardisty will be taking over the Maker Space at Library+ Caloundra for eight weeks leading into Horizon Festival, developing the talkative coats and bonnets housing the tech that makes responsive storytelling possible.

More than anything, Horizon is about connection: artists and audiences, land and story, the familiar and the unexpected. It honours the Traditional Owners – the first artists and storytellers – while making space for new voices, shared experiences and radical imagination. Head to Horizon Festival’s website for the full program and announcements.

We had a chat with Shaye about her involvement with Horizon Festival, merging tech with textiles, and embracing ‘radical hope’.

Hi Shaye! What is it about the Horizon Festival that you love? Why do communities like the Sunshine Coast (or any community!) need this kind of celebration of art and culture?

Making space for community connection is so important. We can get so swept up in our busy lives that having events like this give us space, and a reason to connect in again and remember the feeling of shared joy. Bringing diverse culture and arts experiences into our everyday life, almost as an interruption, helps us to reset our expectations for creativity, fun, magic and connection… It feels so cup-filling having your routine shaken up and to have intimate encounters, creativity, art and humans!

Making space for community connection is so important. We can get so swept up in our busy lives that having events like this give us space, and a reason to connect in again and remember the feeling of shared joy.

Can you give us a peek into your eight-week residency in the Maker Space at Library+ Caloundra, and what you are creating?

I’ve been making some coats, with a wild, unplanned patchwork situation, that actually requires a fair bit of radical hope throughout that process. I’m playing with shape and texture, with oversized proportions and hidden stories.

I’ve also been making some modern bonnets. I’ve been obsessed with my bonnet for a little while and I’m convinced that it’s the perfect playful, sun-safe option for living on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. I’m super excited to be incorporating them into the project and sharing the bonnet joy. We will also be sharing a downloadable pattern so people can make their own Radical Hope Bonnet.

By festival time, all the garments will be magical and be able to speak to the wearer as they explore the library.
I’ve been super lucky to have the Maker Space as my studio for this project, it’s such a beautiful open space and it’s so good to be able to leave my creative mess in place!

What kinds of materials do you use, and how do you navigate the ‘tech vs textile’ challenges?

My first choice of material is always secondhand, I scour local op-shops and look for the colours and fabric types and textures that I need. I also ‘shopped my stash’ and found lots of my personal fabric pieces that I could happily contribute to such a fun project. Being patchworked, there is a real mixture of fabrics used. It’s actually really lovely because a lot of the pieces have been offcuts from my sewing over the years; my daughter’s winter coat, lace from my grandma, a birthday dress, special fabrics from past art projects… It’s a lovely process.

The technology aspect (by which the coats will magically speak to the wearer) is super exciting and will be very collaborative, driven by experimenting together with the team, including Brian Keyes who is a multimedia artist with a focus on audiovisual technology. The textiles will respond to the tech, and the tech will respond to the textiles, guiding the wearer to listen to audio stories of radical hope (recorded by Sunshine Coast community members!) as they venture through the library. I anticipate some small modifications to the designs to make sure the electronic components are housed and concealed well, without hindering the sound quality. Working with technology is completely new for me, I’m looking forward to the challenge.

What are some of the themes you explore?

The premise of radical hope paved the way for a feeling of ‘re-enchantment’ and ‘child-like playfulness’ (as opposed to childish play). As soon as I heard about the project, I had a Studio Ghibli soundtrack playing in my head; it’s dreamy to be making clothing that I could imagine being in a Japanese Anime movie.

The process of patchworking feels like a pulling together, a salvaging… almost a collection of tiny joys. It also gives this feeling of community; you can make something whole out of lots of tiny bits, and it can be even more beautiful than you imagined.

The process of patchworking feels like a pulling together, a salvaging… almost a collection of tiny joys. It also gives this feeling of community; you can make something whole out of lots of tiny bits, and it can be even more beautiful than you imagined.

What can Festivalgoers expect from the ‘Radical Hope Machine 2’ exhibition experience?

‘Radical Hope Machine 2’ merges magical garments with storytelling and some very clever audio technology. I hope that you will feel enchanted and playful, as well as being transported and inspired by the stories the garments will tell you. Through the lens of radical hope, you will explore the immersive library landscape with new eyes, and ears, and uncover some joy and fun.

The immersive exhibition was co-created with the Sunshine Coast community – how were they involved in the process?

There is a series of really cool workshops at Library+ Caloundra where people can share their visions of radical hope through words and images. These will be hosted by Peter Canavas (incredible author and illustrator), and Sarah Winter (beautiful Brisbane artist). Peter will be leading some creative writing workshops that will become central to the experience, and Sarah will be facilitating some exciting collage-based workshops which will form a major installation during the exhibition. All of the workshops are free and you can register at www.horizonfestival.com.au.

Why do you think we need ‘radical hope’? How does it manifest in your own life?

I feel like we need radical hope more than ever. With so many intense catastrophes happening all around us, radical hope asks us not to become numb, even when we see how bleak things can look. It’s an invitation to stay curious, focus on tiny joys and have a belief that something worth living towards still exists, even if we don’t know what that looks like. ‘Focus on the bits you like’ is a motto that I live by. It doesn’t mean I have blind ignorance of the uncomfortable truths of life, but I keep my attention on the bits I like and I feel that this focused intention enriches my life.

Besides your own work, which bits of the Festival are you most looking forward to?

I’m really looking forward to ‘The Butterfly that Flew into the Rave’. It’s described as an electrifying, non-stop performance of pure chaos, with a three-day rave condensed into an hour. I know nothing about rave culture (although I have always loved the fashion that it evokes) so I’m looking forward to this learning opportunity!

What’s your best advice for visitors to Horizon Festival to make the most of the experience?

Have a good look through the program and be open to unusual experiences. I think that often the events that sound strange are often the best, so look out for those! Be open to expanding your comfort zone (for me in past years, that’s been a super early morning for a dawn event). And book ahead so you don’t miss out. (Oh, and don’t miss Radical Hope Machine 2! I think it’s going to be great.)

Radical hope asks us not to become numb, even when we see how bleak things can look. It’s an invitation to stay curious, focus on tiny joys and have a belief that something worth living towards still exists, even if we don’t know what that looks like.

♡ This is a Better Together Peppermint Partnership, where we team up with brands we love. This story was created with support from our friends at Horizon Festival, a program of 35+ events that spans First Nations-led gatherings, immersive food experiences, dance and movement, live music, visual art, and family adventures, each crafted to spark wonder and deepen connection.