Kicking off from July 15 in 2021 at the annual Jumpers and Jazz in July Festival, yarn bombing will be taking centre stage – a colorful artistic display transforming the Streets of Warwick. This is a unique event with many volunteers involved. Will you be attending the Jumpers and Jazz festival in July? I’m going to knit you the skinny on all you need to know about the yarn-bombing at the Jumpers and Jazz in July festival. After all, you don’t want to miss out on seeing this incredible quirky display for yourself.
Yarn Bombing Warwick – where it all began
In 2004, the Warwick Art Gallery had a bright idea to brighten up the cold winter streets and decorate the bare Winter trees by wrapping them in knitted, woven, and crocheted costumes. This idea transformed the Warwick streetscape into a knitted bonanza! From the initial idea of wrapping the bare winter trees into colorful knitted works of art, then grew into a festival celebrating art, music, food that is fondly known today as Jumpers and Jazz in July.
Tree Jumper Exhibition – Transforming the Streets of Warwick
Over 100 volunteers work for most of the year on their creations. Each year a theme is chosen to which artists begin creating their work. The volunteers range from community groups and local schools – to serious textile artists and let’s not forget to mention the knitted entry which arrives every year all the way from Lincolnshire in England! Artists from all over, armed with a pair of knitting needles or a crochet hook, enter into the ,Yarn Bombed Tree Jumper Competition. Over 100 trees are then dressed in their respective knitted creations and the CBD streetscape is transformed into a mindblowing outdoor gallery.
Yarntopian Exhibition – Warwick Art Gallery
Alongside the popular Tree Jumper Exhibition is the large scale art exhibition at the Warwick Gallery. The ,team of volunteers (who affectionately refer to themselves as the ‘Yarntopians’) work together to knit up an incredible life sized exhibition. Each year is themed, for example in 2014 a fabulous ‘Knitchen’ was created, generating much excitement and attention for all the time and hard work contributed from the volunteers to create such a remarkable display. This display showcased a retro quirky kitchen – the amazing part being that every detail was entirely knitted! Other themes have showcased a yarn-bombed VW Beetle Beetle (2010), Warwick Art Gallery walkway (2011), The Woollow Tree and Petal the golf cart (2015), Yarntopia (2016), The Travelling Ravellers (2017), Home Sweet Home (2018) and Off the Grid (2019). This year the theme is ‘The Front Room’ – think 1960’s decor: bold contrasting colours, vivid wallpapers, funky furniture – it’s going to be a very groovy retro living room.
You can catch ‘The Front Room’ on display at the Warwick Art Gallery in July throughout the festival and for some time after the festival has finished.
Make 2021 the year that you experience Queensland’s Quirkiest Festival
Jumpers and Jazz in July brings together a program of over 100 events during the ten days of the festival. The program is bookended by two big weekends of celebrations providing plenty of opportunities to make a weekend of it. Those who prefer to avoid the crowds can take advantage of the festival’s mid-week program also.
The festival has grown over time to offer an eclectic mix of events that includes workshops, a giant bonfire night, dining events, live jazz entertainment, swing dance, street food & children’s entertainment. But perhaps the most unique entertainment of all is the yarn-bombed trees and the Yarntopian Exhibition – make this year the year you see it for yourself!
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