Arts and culture lovers, get ready to immerse yourselves in the best of regional and community art from across the country and beyond in Launceston this August.

From August 25-30, Launceston will host the Junction Arts Festival, an exuberant showcase of wonderful art encompassing theatre, dance, opera, visual arts, writing, installation and more. Plus a great program of music, cabaret and variety in a genuinely cool festival club.

Being held in conjunction with Junction 2010 -  the seventh Regional Arts Australia national conference, the festival features two international collaborations; the award winning Canadian company Mammalian Diving Reflex and acclaimed Indonesian architect Eko Prawoto.

Interstate offerings consist of Car-cophony by Matthew Timmis (SA), Landed by illumination artist Cindy Drennin (SA), The Outhouse by TRAX (NSW), Wiltja Wiltja by Wilurarra Creative Centre (WA) and Couches by Barking Owl Theatre (VIC).

It also includes world premiers by Tasmanian artists including new work by Stompin, the Tasmanian Leather Orchestra, Marcus Tatton and the Tasmanian Writers Centre.

Back by popular demand are Sex Death and a Cup of Tea by Tasmanian Theatre Company, The Knitting Room by Uniting Aged Care and Jane Franklin by Silkweed.

Each evening The Junc Room, the festival club in the city centre, will feature a terrific music program ranging from surf pop to hip hop, and a selection of eclectic cabaret and theatre works from across Australia. Fanning out from the festival Club will be a constellation of free events with writers creating love letters in cafes, musicians roaming the mall in rickshaws, dancers in shop fronts, hotel rooms turned into art galleries and church halls into international Zine hubs.

Speaking about the festival Artistic Director Ian Pidd promises that:

“If you take a walk in the city during the event you will certainly come across things to intrigue, stimulate and delight you – up trees, in parks, on street corners.”

So come to the Junction this winter and witness a vibrant Launceston transformed with art designed to interrupt the mundane and inspire the unexpected!

The complete festival program is available on www.junction2010.com.au