Celebrating 24 years of creativity and culture, the 2017 Manly Arts Festival will be launched at Manly Art Gallery & Museum by retired NSW Governor, Professor Dame Marie Bashir AD, CVO on Friday 8 September from 6pm.

This Manly Arts Festival gets underway from Friday 8 September and runs to Sunday 24 September and features more than 70 attractions including indoor and outdoor exhibitions, open studios, concerts, talks, films and creative workshops. SEE exhibitions + events, HEAR music and talks, PLAY workshops.

A highlight of this year’s festival is Manly Art Gallery & Museum’s ‘The Phantom Show’, a free touring exhibition celebrating the immortal 1930s comic-book hero, and featuring works by Peter Kingston, Reg Mombassa, Dieter Lederwasch, Euan Macleod and Dick Frizzell among 40 other artists.

Nearly 80 years after it first appeared, The Phantom‘s brilliant imagery and hair-raising adventures continue to resonate so strongly the comic strip is still running to this day - in over five hundred newspapers internationally.

Also at Manly Art Gallery & Museum is ‘Three Boats’, including a rare and original Manly Pier electric ‘Dodgem Boat’ shown alongside an early Manly Junior sailing dinghy - both from the 1950s. The two craft are juxtaposed with Richard Goodwin’s beautiful sculpture ‘Moth’, which was awarded the National Sculpture Prize.

Other cultural treats include the Manly Zine Fair, Arts Forum, a Creative Women’s Circle event, Kids Art Adventures, the Manly’s Big Draw collaborative installation led by artist Lilly Blue, Master Class painting en plein air with Bob Baird, the Open Studios Weekend and many other attractions, mostly offered free to the public.

Manly Arts Festival began in 1994 and has grown into one of NSW's leading community-based arts festivals attracting over 15,000 visitors each year.

More information is on our what's on page or call the info line on 9976 1421. Programs will be available from Manly Art Gallery & Museum and Council Customer Service Centres.