Gulargambone was alight with festivities over the weekend as the annual Pave The Way to Gulargambone art festival rolled around for its fourth year, bringing people from far and wide to the community. 

The event held nothing back this year, with an estimated 1200 people attending over the two days, with 300 alone at the opening ceremony. 

The event hails from an idea in 2018 that worked to revive the town’s then struggling economy. 

Event Co-ordinator and Gulargambone Co-Op member Annie Haling said that with each year, the festival can grow bigger and better. 

“That event was so successful that we just continued from there and we’re on a roll now you could say,” Mrs Haling said. 

“People were here this year to see the new artwork and to experience the entertainment line-up and stalls for the festival, but once they had had their fill of that, they were able to go check out the various art trails and shops around town.”

Visitors came from near and far. (Supplied)

With just about every free surface covered in the small town by the fourth year, the erection of three billboards along the Riverwalk made for six new mural surfaces for visiting artists.

This year’s lineup of artists featured Kasper, Jozpop, Michael Bourke, Leo Uribe, Viki and John Murray, Manda Lane and local Gamileroi man Frank Wright, whose murals can be explored on the billboards. 

 “The billboards are positioned in the formation of a three point star so no matter where you stand you can see that they have two sides to them,” Mrs Haling said.

The festival wasn’t just to look at art, however, with the audience encouraged to participate in the painting of an old car that was planted in town for everyone to access. 

“We chose the car with history connected to a local lady and had painting supplies available for people to just do whatever they felt to the vehicle,” Mrs Haling said. 

The activity was part of the festival’s theme ‘Provocative Concepts’, the first theme in the festival’s history. 

“It could be political or environmental, just something that would make people stop and think about the artwork and have a conversation.”

The provocative concepts explored in works ranged from extinction to mental health, to a touch of black comedy, then welcoming the audience to invite messages of hope and support on a temporary billboard painted with the Ukraine flag. 

“With the Ukraine flag, I just decided to make another, smaller billboard that could be dismantled and moved up onto the highway after the festival,” Mrs Haling said. 

“We needed something that would make people stop and think about the artwork and have a conversation, and I think we managed to achieve that.” 

Artwork wasn't limited to the artists this year. (Supplied)

Having covered the town in art, Mrs Haling reassured that that doesn’t mean the end for the Pave the Way Festival. 

“We don’t do the same thing every tear, it doesn’t work like that.”

“The 2023 festival will be performing artists instead of visual arts, we’ll have four or five bands in 2828’s back block and keep the festive atmosphere by having the street party,” she said.  

“I’m full of praise for everyone that was involved in the whole process for this year…it was a great weekend.”

Click here to see footage from the 2022 Pave The Way To Gulargambone Art Festival.