The Ballarat Cabaret Festival dates have been booked in and performers are looking forward to returning to in-person performances.
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The festival will be running on November 18 and 19 and will include a number of performances from both local and city-based performers.
Artistic director Issie Hart (who prefers they/them pronouns) said they were very excited to be bringing the festival back to Ballarat after uncertainties surrounding COVID-19 restrictions forced the first festival to go online last year.
"We are really excited for what we can do in person for local Ballarat audiences and also for people who want to come down to Ballarat for the weekend," Hart said.
Before 2021, the festival was run by Her Majesty Theatre and the City of Ballarat council but has not run in a number of years.
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"As a smaller independent arts organisation, we are hoping that the festival will be a little more sustainable and longer-lasting," Hart said.
Hart said cabaret was based on a tradition of theatre, but was stripped back and tends to take place in more intimate settings.
"Often it is a little bit wild, a little bit edgy and it is full of surprises, anything can happen."
Hart said the performances were often music-based.
"We have a lot of amazing singers that are going to come out and do incredible performances and we have some other wild and wacky surprises as well."
Most of the program will be based on what is happening on the main stage; later in the evening there will be late night variety shows and there will also be a LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Brunch Event on the Saturday.
Hart also said there would be a number of secret shows in the afternoon and evening of both days.
Audience members who have tickets to the main stage shows can come about half an hour early and they might be able to catch the surprise act.
"I feel like, particularly after the last few years, we have not had enough good surprises," Hart said.
They said the return of the festival has been born out of conversations with Ballarat artists.
"A lot of my fellow artist friends were talking about how much they missed the cabaret festival," Hart said.
"So a few of us got together and decided that we are going to bring it back."
Announcements about the lineup of performers will be announced soon.
"I know I have missed having audiences so much," Hart said.
"I think audiences have missed being live in the room with performances as well, it is going to be a beautiful time."
More information is available at ballaratcabaretfestival.com
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