Arts & Culture
9 October, 2026
Picton comes alive for celebration of arts and culture
Picton will become a hive of artistic and cultural activity on Saturday (October 10) for Arts Alive 2026.
Picton will become a hive of artistic and cultural activity on Saturday (October 10) for Arts Alive 2026.
The event – organised by Wolllondilly Shire Council – will run from 2pm through until 9pm and will include live performances, immersive experiences, creative workshops, roving entertainment, family activities and carnival fun.
It is being funded by the NSW Government’s Open Streets Program in association with council.
There will be market stalls and live entertainment in Menangle Street from 2pm to 9pm as well as food stalls and a family carnival in Mary MacKillop Lane.
Roving entertainers will help add to the carnival atmosphere.
There will be an artisan market and art exhibition at the Wollondilly Shire Hall as well as hula-hoop, dance, juggling, acrobatic and circus performances on the lawn.
Free circus, drama, street dance and African drumming workshops will be held at the Wollondilly Performing Arts Centre. Tickets for the carnival and free workshops are available online at www.wollondilly.nsw.gov.au
There will be a carnival sensory session between 11.30am and 1pm in support of adults, young people and children with a disability.
Every effort will be made during this time to keep noise and lighting to a minimum.
One of the highlights of the event will be Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo, providing people of all ages with an opportunity to get up close and personal with an array of ‘live’ prehistoric creatures – from baby dinosaurs to some of the largest carnivores and herbivores that have ever walked the planet.
It is described as a ‘once in a lifetime interactive experience’ connecting young audiences with the real science of palaeontology.
Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo has toured the United States twice in recent years (2024 and again in 2025), Japan (2024) and appeared at KidsFest Singapore last year.
The New York Times described it as “solid science as well as an extraordinary spectacle”.
The zoo show will be held at 3.30pm and again at 5.30pm on the lawn outside Wollondilly Shire Hall.
Erth will also present Fauna – a four-metre-tall puppet described as an “enchanting creature” that is part plant, part animal and “carries the voices of the trees”.
The ‘SofT FoREST’ performance is designed to help people reflect on their place in the natural world and what they can do to protect it.
People will be able to view the performance and rediscover their sense of connection to nature at St Anthony’s Church between 3pm and 8pm.
Arts Alive 2026 will also feature dazzling light displays once the sun goes down and will conclude with a spectacular fireworks display at 9pm.
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