Festy farewells founder

Departing Bleach* chief ‘sad to say goodbye’

BLEACH* Festival 2019 has bid farewell to its founder as it finished its eighth year over the weekend but she says she won’t be able to totally let it go.

Artistic director and CEO Louise Bezzina started the festival as a small project of Connecting Southern Gold Coast. The 11-day arts celebration, which ended on Sunday, now attracts thousands to its event line-up every year.

“I’m really proud of the team and everyone who created the festival, I feel a real sense of pride and relief,” she said. “It comes with all sorts of emotions because it was so successful seeing people coming out to all the events, then you go ‘I don’t want to leave’.

“I definitely think this year the festival has embedded itself in the local community and that is something I’m really sad to say goodbye to.”

Ms Bezzina (pictured) was last year announced as the new artistic director of Brisbane Festival after almost a decade leading Bleach* on the Gold Coast.

“I know that I absolutely have to let it go and will, but I will never be able to disconnect from the festival, there’s no way,” she said.

“I don’t think there will be a day when I don’t think about it, because it’s been a such a big part of my life.

“It will continue to be a wonderful festival for the community and I know it will continue to do great things.

“(Rosie Dennis) will do a great job and it will be a really exciting time for change.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing what she does.”

This year saw more than two dozen separate events and performances taking place across the Gold Coast.

Under Ms Bezzina’s leadership more than 700 local artists have got their start performing at the festival’s events.

It is not yet known what new artistic director and CEO Rosie Dennis plans to bring to the festival when she starts work in June.

She will present her first festival program in April 2020.

The former director of Western Sydney’s Urban Theatre Projects has previously told media she was thrilled to join Bleach* “at such an exciting time”.

“Growing up just south of the border, I have many fond memories of the Gold Coast and I’ve watched with keen interest as the region has developed over the last 10 years into a contemporary, cosmopolitan place,” she said.

“I’m very much looking forward to contributing to this narrative with an ambitious program of arts and culture for the city.”