Everyone is invited to the biggest party of the winter, with free registrations for the neon-themed Solstice Search Party in the Warrnambool Botanic Gardens on June 24 now open.
Register for your free Solstice Search Party tickets
First held in 2022 and attracting over 5000 attendees, this event is a spin-off of the popular Solstice Searching scavenger hunt, which also makes a return on June 23. The scavenger hunt invites you to follow the cryptic clues to find the all-new neon sculptures by artist Carla Obrien hidden throughout Warrnambool.
Attendees at Solstice Search Party can see all of the sculptures from the previous night’s scavenger hunt in one place, as well as explore other light-themed wonders.
One Day Studios will be creating sound and light installations while Nurture in Nature will lead us through a lantern-lit storybook trail.
The event runs from 3pm until 9pm with live music by Leslie D King and the Trembling Shakes, Wade Northcott, Gabby Steel, Matt Price and Good Intentions DJ.
Warrnambool Mayor Cr Debbie Arnott encouraged everyone to embrace winter and enjoy two amazing nights out.
“Winter Solstice is the darkest time of the year, so what better time to hold a festival celebrating light?” she said.
“It’s dark nice and early so the whole family can rug up, venture out and see what they can discover.
“Both the scavenger hunt and the party in the Botanic Gardens, they’re such great concepts and people have really embraced them.
“Warrnambool is of course known as one of the best places in Australia for whale watching in winter, and what our Solstice events aim to do is to provide another compelling reason to visit Warrnambool in the off-peak tourist season.
“While it’s free to attend, we really encourage people to pre-register online to help us gauge the numbers so we can have the right infrastructure in place to help everyone have the best night possible.”
For more information on winter events, visit www.warrnambool.vic.gov.au/winter.
Clues for the Solstice Searching scavenger hunt will be published on the Warrnambool City Council and Warrnambool Visitor Information Centre Facebook and Instagram pages on the day of the hunt.