The third annual Bayside Arts Festival kicks off with the return of the popular Sculptures@Bayside at Cook Park, Kyeemagh on Saturday, April 6.
Sculptures@Bayside will bring an exciting and exotic display of sculptures from some of Australia's top sculptors.
They will all competing for a total prize of up to $50,000 known as the Sculptures @ Bayside Acquisition Prize to be awarded to the most outstanding eligible sculpture submitted.
Last year's festival saw a 200 per cent increase in visitors on the previous year with 40,000 people inspecting the 30 sculptures in the exhibition between April 15 and 29, some travelling from the inner west and the north shore, as well as from across the Bayside area.
And more than 1200 voted in the People's Choice Award, compared with 130 in 2017.
This year the sculptures will be on display at Cook Park until April 30.
Sculptures@Bayside will be the centrepiece of stART which will be held on the festival's opening day, April 6 at Cook Park from 11am to 3pm.
stART, is billed as a family-friendly fair that encourages visitors to get creative with a range of free art and craft activities for artists of all ages.
This year stART combines with Aussie Night Markets to bring over 30 food and desert stalls to Cook Park trading until 9pm.
Visitors to stART will be able to grab a bite to eat and wander around the many sculptures on display around the park as part of Sculptures@Bayside.
Sculptures@Bayside will be in place until Tuesday 30 April bringing an exciting display of sculptures to the shores of Cook Park, Kyeemagh.
As well as stART and Sculptures @ Bayside, the Bayside Arts Festival will include the GRaB (Georges River & Bayside) Arts and Cultural Forum, CamerART photographic competition, as well as workshops, open days and exhibitions, theatrical performances and a series of cultural events in the local area.
A total of $70,000 in prize money on offer for this year's Bayside Art Awards recognises outstanding achievements in Sculpture, Photography and Visual Arts.
The Bayside Art Awards are an initiative of Bayside Council and made possible with a sponsorship from Sydney Airport.
This year the Cooks River Alliance is supporting Sculptures@Bayside with the Cooks River Rescue Prize.
The 2019 Bayside Arts Festival gives residents and visitors the chance to unleash their inner creativity with an exciting series of art exhibitions, competitions and workshops, Bayside mayor Bill Saravinovski said.
"I am proud Council is continuing to host this festival that has been embraced by our community and showcases the artistic creativity of Bayside," he said.
"Thanks to the continued sponsorship from Sydney Airport this is also becoming one of the major arts festivals in NSW."