The Prologue: 2026
Description
The city's Storytelling Festival launches itself into the Warrnambool winter with an event to delight and enchant. Guests are welcomed with bespoke cocktails to kick off a convivial, mixer-style social evening, filled with live local music and an array of entertaining treats.
Come and celebrate with us. As well as being the launch event of the 2026 festival, this special evening is a joyful way for us to mark a beautiful new beginning for the festival's brand. Join us as we share a delicious grazing supper from Nook on Hopkins, partake in Plot Twists (our 2026 signature cocktails) and revel in some special guest appearances - including a surprise performance.
Special Guests
Andy Alberts
Andy Alberts is a Gunditjmara Koorie singer-songwriter who has travelled Australia playing various festivals and venues, both as a solo artist and with his band The Walkabouts.
Santilla Chingaipe
Santilla Chingaipe is a filmmaker, historian, and writer whose work explores settler colonialism, slavery, and postcolonial migration in Australia. Her first nonfiction book, Black Convicts: How Slavery Shaped Australia (2024), was shortlisted for the Stella Prize and longlisted for the Cundill History Prize. Santilla is a regular contributor to The Saturday Paper and a columnist for The Monthly. She is based in Melbourne.
Harpistry
This trio of talented multi-instrumentalists take to the strings together as Harpistry, a musical collaboration bringing everything from timeless melodic folk to contemporary covers and stunning originals to the ears and hearts of ready listeners. Comprised of Merran Moir, Sylvie Rogers and Pam Bennett, Harpistry will warm your soul and elevate your musical experience.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
