A FESTIVAL in a small coastal town in Victoria sparked rumours that a bizarre sacrifice was planned to ward off the demons of winter — but only when the ritual was in full swing did locals discover the truth.
This is the second year the Winter Wild festival has run at Apollo Bay in the state’s southwest and it gained a lot of attention after spruiking a “sacrifice” as one of the event’s attractions.
The murky details of what the sacrifice would actually involve led to rumours that an animal - or even a child - was going to be offered up as a tribute.
“Everything has its price. As long as anyone can remember, the people of Apollo Bay have paid an annual tribute. In the depths of winter, when souls are battered and spirits are at their lowest ebb, a sacrifice is made,” the festival’s website read.
“It is to ward off Winter’s worst and speed the arrival of Spring. This year the sacrifice will be a big one; a dear one.”
Many of the attendees had no idea what was in store when they gathered at the harbour on the night of the sacrifice, with some people outright refusing to go.
Attendees watched on as a procession of children, farmers, animals and a woman dressed as a dark priest and priestess marched alongside a small girl riding a horse and holding a light.
“It was built up like it was going to be a real sacrifice and I think we scared a few people away because of it,” festival director Roderick Poole told news.com.au.
The procession led to a huge statue of a grim reaper that had been built for the event and in the performance the town confronted the looming figure.
“The grim reaper wanted the little girl as a sacrifice but the child tricked him and he was the one that was set on fire,” Mr Poole explained.
“The weather was true to form as well with rain and wild wind, which really just added to the atmosphere.”
The sacrifice was one of the performances that was planned for the first part of the festival that ran from August 10 to 12.
The festival is spread over two weekends and each part has been given a different theme, with the first weekend being “Death” and next weekend being “Birth”.
Mr Poole said the festival is way of showing off a side of the town that isn’t usually seen.
“We are in a spot that is usually renowned for its amazing coastline and beaches but in winter this place has a whole other side that we are keen to show off,” he said.
“In winter this place becomes more wild as all the elements like rain and wind are out in full force. It’s spectacular.”
The festival came about as a result of a horror bushfire season in 2015 that ravaged parts of Victoria.
Apollo Bay is just off the Great Ocean Road so when the road was shut because of the fires it hit the local economy hard.
The festival was created as a way of bringing money and tourism back into the town.
There are a range of events that make up the festival including music, films, walking tours, performances and dance parties.
Mr Poole said one of the best aspects of the event is the community involvement.
“There is a lot of creative people doing good stuff in the community but if often goes unnoticed,” he said.
“This festival gives them a chance to lift what they are doing into the public realm.”
The second part of the festival kicks off on Friday August 24 and promises to be filled with just as much excitement and originality as the first.
On the first night they are putting on a huge feast for the community called the Feastiality where they will put on a massive spread of local produce including seafood, pig, deer and wallaby.
Similar to the sacrifice, this aspect of the festival has also drawn a bit of criticism, this time from the vegan community.
“We have had a bit of controversy surrounding a big feast. Because there is a lot of meat we have had backlash from the vegan community,” Mr Poole said.
“But I think they are planning having their own feast now so they will do their thing and we will do ours.”
There will also be a sequel to the sacrifice performance called “Candescence” and, though Mr Poole didn’t want to give too much away, he revealed there would be a victory march for the little girl who took on the grim reaper.
“She will be riding on the horse again and at the end she will have transformed into something quite different from the first performance,” he said.
As well as the free outdoor performances there is also a lot of ticketed events that people can check out.
- You can find more information about the Winter Wild festival on it’s website.
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