National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant partners with SALA Festival...

07 Oct 2020

National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant partners with SALA Festival for 2021 Float Design

The National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant have announced a float design and building initiative with the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival for the 2021 event.

The initiative offers the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant a platform to engage with and discover new concepts and artists who are encouraged to submit their designs for an original Christmas float for the Pageant in 2021.

Aligning with independent arts organisation SALA, the competition is open to all South Australian artists in design, drawing, painting or sculpting. The winning float design will be brought to life to appear in next year’s Pageant. The winner will also receive $2,000 in prize money generously donated by National Pharmacies.

Although the competition is open to all artists in South Australia, Pageant Director Brian Gilbertson said that aligning with an independent arts organisation like SALA will directly connect the artistry of the Pageant with a well-known and respected platform for artists and creatives.

“The challenge of designing the float and the characters that bring it to life, requires the same process as designing for a stage production,” says Mr Gilbertson.

“The additional challenge is to produce that design for a moving stage in a street setting. This is a rare opportunity for an artist to immerse themselves in the creativity of the Pageant.

“Their delivery of the brief will need to take into account both the design and its integration into the Pageant as a whole, where it will be part of approximately 170 theatrical moving sets.”

The competition offers a rare opportunity to be a part of a project with a broad range of touch-points, from designing a float to be towed or self-motorised, including riding positions of characters on stage and what those characters will be, either on or surrounding the float.

SALA CEO, Kate Moskwa said the partnership with the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant is a great alignment for SALA.

“Any opportunity for artists to be able to work with commercial partners to broaden their professional experience is an exciting opportunity,” says Ms Moskwa.

“The iconic nature of the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant as South Australia’s largest one-day arts event adds both a nostalgic and creative element for those who have grown up with the Pageant.”

National Pharmacies CEO, Vito Borrello said the SALA float design competition is a welcome initiative for the organisation.

“As a proud South Australian business, it gives us great pleasure to support local artists and offer them the opportunity to put their talents to work for a tangible and special outcome,” says Mr Borrello.

“We are so excited to see the winning design come to life for the 2021 National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant.”

A judging panel will select five finalists who will then present their design to an interview panel. Further details on how to enter and the full terms and conditions can be found here.