July 30th, 2026Around the Town for Words in Winter
Throughout August, the streets of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs will come alive with spontaneous art, literary intervention and interactive moments in the lead up to Words in Winter from August 26 to 30.
Through the festival’s Around the Town program, art is stepping out of traditional venues and directly into public spaces, turning everyday streets into places of unexpected creative discovery.
Leading the charge throughout the month is Radical Curiosity, a public art initiative by local art collective, Radical Fields. The project kicked off by transforming the shopfront windows of That Bargain Place into marker-scribed community canvases. These thoughts, questions and visual marks will then be converted into street-art paste-ups scattered across local business windows, town walls and alleyways.
“We love creating situations where art isn’t just something you stand back and look at, but something you stumble into and help build,” says Ryan F Kennedy, founder and director of Radical Fields. “Taking those community marks onto the street turns the whole town into an evolving conversation.” The original window installation at That Bargain Place will remain on display through to the end of the festival on August 30. Keep an eye out for the paste-ups throughout August.
Beyond the paste-ups, locals and visitors exploring the region throughout August will find interactive surprises waiting around almost every corner. At vintage typewriter stations set up at the Daylesford Library, Paradise Bookshop, the Visitor Information Centre, and the Festival Hub, passersby can contribute to The Unstable Draft. Created by local artist Leonie Leivenzon, this installation invites the public to type, alter or overwrite lines to build a layered, collective manuscript.
Local cafes are also joining the movement, ahead of the inaugural The Society of Silent Readers meeting at Paradise Bookshop during the festival. Curated book stacks have been placed across town, inviting patrons to order their morning brew, slow down and sink into a story.
Elsewhere, artist Paul Mason is bringing current events to life with Agent of News, featuring mock street-side newsstands that display thought-provoking A2 ink drawings addressing contemporary social and political issues.
The program will culminate over the festival weekend at the Town Hall and Senior Citizens Centre, where the Festival Hub will host a massive Community Book Swap featuring dedicated tables for both adults’ and children’s titles. Bring a book to leave or find your new favourite read.
Link: www.wordsinwinter.com
The Local is a proud media sponsor of Words in Winter.
