Gather round, admirers of art, music, ideas and all-things creative: there’s just one week to go before Horizon Festival kicks off its jam-packed 10-day program. To get you ready for the festivities, here are a few of our top picks, including free gigs, handy workshops and more. Woohoo!

FOR THE MUSIC-LOVERS: SATURDAZE WITH BLAK SOCIAL
This free gig (which has been put together by the ace people at Blak Social) features a line-up of rad First Nations artists including Tia Gostelow, AYA J, DJ Kritty, and Selve. They'll get together for one lovely arvo spent playing good tunes at Eumundi Amphitheatre.

FOR THE BOOKWORMS AND WRITERS: STORYTELLERS FESTIVAL
At the Storytellers Festival, readers and writers can connect with local authors and take part in a bunch of handy workshops on everything from publishing and writing crime, to illustrating and making your work stand out.

FOR THE ART-LOVERS: PHOTOTROPISM
Hosted by local artists Amanda Bennetts and Warwick Gow, this immersive exhibition interrogates the medium of photography beyond the 2D. While the exhibition is free, it will be accompanied by Electrotropism – a ticketed night of music, food and bevs that’ll see the show go out with a bang.

FOR THE TEENS: RISOGRAPH PRINTING
Horizon Festival has partnered with The Sunshine Press to run this free, full-day workshop that will teach young artists (aged 15 to 18) the art of risograph printing. Make sure you get in quick if you want to join in – spots are super-limited. (And for those of you who can’t take part in the workshop but love riso, we recommend checking out RISOFEST.) 

FOR THE PERFORMANCE-LOVERS: CIRCA’S PEEPSHOW
If you’re a fan of acrobatics, burlesque and cabaret, then you’ll get a real kick out of Circa’s Peepshow. The super-talented circus performers at Circa are seriously impressive, so the show is sure to get your blood pumping.

Need a few more recommendations? Read our lovely editor Emma Do’s guide to the festival here, which includes more workshops, entertainment and music events. Check out the full program and nab your tickets through Horizon Festival's website.