Acrobats in church, 100 drummers with dancers, Silverchair stories, provocative artworks and much more

Adrian Burnett, the festival's senior producer and curator has once again used his strong foundation in dance to book a series of top performers, and built on that with promising new drama, national music acts, provocative art, more multicultural programs and perfect timing with some legends.

"I'm really excited about this year," Burnett says. "Each year we hope to build on the previous year. This year is exciting in a different way. We have a really strong visual arts program again. I think the programming at the Civic, it's more commercial [Kate Cerebrano, Boy & Bear, and the launch of Love & Pain, the Silverchair story of Newcastle bandmates Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou] - that will be fun and entertaining."

The drama component weighs in with city-commissioned works - Spewy, by Newcastle-born playwright Ang Collins, telling a Newcastle story, and Good Mourning, a young play that gets a fresh performance from Tantrum Youth Arts, and Voices of Joan, a solo show created by Janie Gibson.

"We've really tried to nail it with our expression of interest with our Made New program, so there's quite a lot of theatre in this program," Burnett says. Spewy is very Novocastrian, like a love letter to Newcastle, and great sense of irreverence."

Leading Newcastle dance company Catapult will feature a new work, Rhapsody, to be performed in the carpark of The Store in Newcastle West.

Australian contemporary performance companies Dancenorth and Circa will deliver energetic shows - Dancenorth performing Noise, with assistance of 100 local drummers, and Circa performing What Will Have Been, a tight four-person acrobatic show in the surrounds of ChristChurch Cathedral.

The Just Not Australian art exhibition at Watt Space Gallery, featuring leading Australian art figures, will be "super provocative", Burnett says. "I think that will really spark some conversation," he says.

Cutting-edge installation Kaleidoscope will be installed at Civic Park and Message from You will push audiences into the world of artificial intelligence.

To top it off, Strut & Fret will launch a Spiegeltent show kicking off during the festival.

Atong Atem Cardiff-raised, Ethiopia-born, to South Sudanese parents, this artistic photographer's vibrant palette and beautifully stylised imagery draws the viewer into a narrative that belies its facade. It's her first exhibition in Newcastle. Location to be named. Every day. Free

Just Not Australian 19 artists on the origins and implications of contemporary Australian nationhood, including Abdul Abdullah, Hoda Afshar, Tony Albert, Cigdem Aydemir, Liam Benson, Eric Bridgeman, Jon Campbell, Karla Dickens, Fiona Foley, Gordon Hookey, Richard Lewer, Vincent Namatjira, Nell, Raquel Ormella, Ryan Presley, Joan Ross, Tony Schwensen, Archie Moore, Soda Jerk. Watt Space Gallery. September 23-October 1. Free

Ngiarrenumba Burrai (Our Country) Workshops. Native food, dance, language. Museum Park. Every day.

Kaleidoscope By Keith Courtney. Glass, steel, mirrors and moving prisms in a 700-square-metre maze of corridors in Civic Park. September 22 - October 22. $15.

Message From Another You NSW premiere of The Parallel Effect's Message From Another You, a participatory art experience. Spacesuit-clad performers with live theatre, music, interactive interfaces and AI voice-cloning technology. 164 Hunter Street. Every day. $45

Blanc de Blanc Encore World-class cabaret produced by Strut & Fret, under the Spiegeltent. Civic Park, September 22 - October 22. $76.

What Will Have Been Three circus artists and a violinist stretch the boundaries of contemporary circus in this intimate and deeply moving production by Circa Contemporary Circus. Christchurch Cathedral. September 22 & 23. $49.

Rhapsody Newcastle's leading contemporary dance company, Catapult Dance present a radical new dancework by Omer Backley-Astrachan, on the fifth floor of The Store Wilsons Carpark. September 22 & 23 $40.

Good Mourning: Tantrum Youth present the story of four young siblings and their dad's cancer, from the perspective of an eight-year-old, an Australian work in its first season in Newcastle. Civic Theatre Playhouse, September 22-23. $40 (Recommended for ages 16 and up).

My Life As a Symphony Kate Ceberano sings her personal favourites with a live orchestra. Civic Theatre. September 22. $109.

Spewy A newly-commissioned play by Ang Collins. A rom-com set in Newcastle, in a story written by a Novocastrian. Al and Nic, end up in Newcastle. Ang Collins returns to her home in Newcastle. Earp Distilling, Carrington. September 27-30 (4 shows) $40

Voices of Joan By Janie Gibson. A solo show telling the story of Joan of Arc with wit, humour and costume changes. New Lambton Community Centre. September 27-30. $40.

Boy & Bear A rare regional tour on the back of their recently released fifth studio album, they are a long-time darling of indie music fans. Thursday, Civic Theatre. 8pm, September 28. $69.

Noise by Dancenorth in collaboration with 100 local volunteer percussionists. A profoundly energetic event involving dancers, drummers and the audience in a beautiful, polished, high-intensity, high quality dancework. Museum Park. September 29 & 30 (3 shows). Free

This Land A First Nations celebration of sound, soul and spirit. Museum Park. 6-9pm, September 29. Free.

Global Gathering Funded by Multicultural NSW, a family-friendly day of music, dance, food trucks and demos. Museum Park, 1pm - 9pm, September 30. Free

Love & Pain A live event celebrating the launch of a book, Love & Pain, the inside story of Silverchair, as told by Silverchair bandmates Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou. In conversation with Chit Chat von Loopin (Glenn Dormand). Civic Theatre. September 30, 7pm. $45