Arts & Culture
11 October, 2026
Something for everyone as Picton comes Alive
Click through for photos and videos. Thousands of people have flocked to Picton for Arts Alive 2026 and have walked with dinosaurs, danced samba in the streets and sung along to some 70s classics.
Thousands of people have flocked to Picton for Arts Alive 2026 and have walked with dinosaurs, danced samba in the streets and sung along to some 70s classics.
There was something for everyone at Saturday’s festival – which has now cemented its reputation as one of the region’s ‘go to’ events.
Arts Alive is organised by Wollondilly Shire Council with funding through the NSW Government’s Open Streets Event.
Crowds started to arrive in Menangle Street as soon as the festival started at 2pm and by late afternoon the area was packed.
Many of them remained for the fireworks finale at 9pm.
Saturday’s festival was officially open by Wollondilly mayor Matt Gould following a Welcome to Country from Aunty Glenda Chalker and a performance by the Djawuala Aboriginal dance group.
Cr Gould said he had been a bit worried about the weather on Saturday morning but it had turned out to be a “cracker” of a day.
He said it was great to see Picton’s streets filled with colour, creativity and entertainment and thanked the State Government and the event’s major sponsors for helping to make it happen.
Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo – featuring life-size dinosaur puppets – was a massive hit with the kids.
Erth’s two performances – part history lesson, part comedy act, part puppet show – attracted big crowds outside the Wollondilly Shire Hall with children encouraged to sit in the ‘buffet’ seats in the front row.
It was later explained to them that they were called ‘buffet’ seats because the star of the show was a carnivore who liked to eat meat.
Across the road at St Anthony’s it was hard to miss Erth’s four-metre tall puppet ‘Fauna’ who brought an important environmental message to this year’s festival through its ‘SoftFoREST’ performance.
There was non-stop entertainment throughout the afternoon on the lawn outside the shire hall and on the main Bradcorp Entertainment Stage including musicians, hula-hoopers, jugglers, acrobats and circus performers.
The Samba Brazil Entertainment performance – incorporating Samba dancers, Brazilian drummers and break-dancers – attracted a massive crowd and had people of all ages dancing in the street before the show had ended.
Throughout the afternoon and into the evening festivalgoers also enjoyed circus, drama and African drumming workshops in the Wollondilly Performing Arts Centre, carnival rides and a smorgasbord of food offerings in Mary MacKillop Lane, an art exhibition and artisan market in the Wollondilly Shire Hall and a host of market stalls along both sides of Menangle Street.
· Keep an eye out for our Arts Alive 2026 photo gallery.
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