Sydney Opera House launches overnight festival to celebrate binge-worthy TV and pop culture
Sydney Opera House has launched its first festival for five years with a two-day event showcasing TV, journalism, pop culture, video games and storytelling.
Samsung has come on board as major sponsor for the overnight Bingefest festival, which takes place between December 18 and 19, while Airbnb also backing the initiative.
It includes a ‘mini-marathon’ of internet cat videos – supported by Buzzfeed Australia – endless replays of TV series and talks from content creators from around the world.
Among those taking part are Chicago Tribune features reporter and columnist, Christopher Borelli, who will explore what makes TV so important and “why it always has the last laugh”, while US-based pop culture organisation The AV Club, will showcase the best of TV with a session titled ‘All the TV you should have watched by now’.
Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are also in for a treat with a celebration to mark the 20th anniversary of the TV series.
Jad Abumrad, the co-creator and host of public radio program and podcast Radiolab, will discuss how “gut churn” can help artists in their work, while Julie Snyder, executive producer of Serial, the spin-off of podcast This American Life, will discuss ‘Binge-worthy journalism’.
Meanwhile, the The Harambe Memorial Service will feature Dan Ilic and a panel of local comedians and journalists – including James Colley, Rosie Waterland, Theo Saidden and Celeste Barber – who will celebrate the internet’s 47th birthday by looking at the viral hits of 2016.
