Phoenix & The Flames Fire Ceremony

Solstice Search Party, Warrnambool – June 21, 2025 

Directed by Eloise Wood in collaboration with WildHoney, Phoenix & The Flames was a reimagining of Phoenix Rising, first performed at WinterWild in 2017. This new incarnation featured newly crafted costumes, musical soundtrack, and performance narrative.

Before an audience of around 2,000, the sleeping Phoenix was carried through the crowd and placed on a platform beside the unlit Fire Effigy, dressed with aromatic spices and firewood. The Flame Dancers lit the Fire Hoop, awakening the Phoenix, who danced and symbolically breathed fire into the four directional lamps.

At the peak of the performance, the Phoenix ignited the Fire Fffigy installation — the brazier fire — symbolising hope, renewal, and the sun’s return. The ceremony closed with the audience invited to join, circling and dancing around the Fire in a shared moment of celebration.

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