Bradfield’s First Building powers up with innovation and imagination
A bold new creative program is bringing the next stage of Bradfield City’s First Building to life, establishing a vibrant new hub for arts, culture, and community.
Launching this month, the program will deliver a series of free events and activations that celebrate Western Sydney’s artistic talent at the heart of Australia’s first new city in 100 years.
Delivered by leading youth arts organisation PYT Fairfield, the program is a core part of Bradfield’s early activation strategy, embedding arts and culture into the city’s development and connecting creative industries with manufacturing and innovation. It will provide opportunities for established and emerging Western Sydney artists to showcase their work and celebrate the region’s creative potential.
One of the program’s highlights is Women Who Launch, to be held on Friday, 7 November 2025. The event will honour the history and future of women in STEAM in Australia, including aviation pioneer Nancy Bird Walton, the namesake of the nearby Western Sydney International Airport.
The event will feature exhibitions, performances, workshops, and panel discussions hosted by trailblazer First Nations astrophysicist and science communicator Dr Kirsten Banks. Highlights include performances by Jannawi Dance Clan and The Sky Sisters, a panel on hidden histories featuring Powerhouse Museum curator Nina Earl, and a conversation on creativity in STEM with Professor Veena Sahajwalla, inventor of Green Steel, and cognitive scientist Professor Kate Stevens.
Another program, Tinker Tours, are a series of interactive workshops led by multi-disciplinary creatives that make complex STEM ideas approachable and exciting through creative practice. Some sessions are specifically designed for primary and high school students, encouraging curiosity and learning about the future of manufacturing.
In June 2026, the ColliderFest community event will bring together renown creatives and the broader community, with full program details to be announced in early 2026. Expect a kaleidoscope of activities, performances, workshops and food trucks, celebrating the culmination of the creative program across an exciting day.
The programs will be co-curated with the recently announced Bradfield STEAM Council, an initiative bringing together eight young people to help activate the First Building and ensure programs incorporate STEAM themes.
The Women Who Launch event is now open for registration on the Bradfield Development Authority website.
“As Australia’s first new city in 100 years, Bradfield is being built as a city of innovation, and that includes cultural innovation," says Ken Morrison, CEO of the Bradfield Development Authority. “This program is a powerful way to connect community, creativity and industry from the very beginning."
“PYT Fairfield brings deep local knowledge and artistic excellence to this partnership," Mr Morrison continued, "and we’re pleased to be partnering to bring even more energy to the exciting work already underway at the First Building."
Gabrielle Trainor, Bradfield Development Authority Board Member and Chair of Arts and Culture Advisory Panel says, “Our new city of Bradfield cannot fully come to fruition without the creativity and cultural life of Western Sydney at its pulse.
“We’re delighted that PYT Fairfield has been appointed as our Creative Producer to help us embrace the artists and the brilliant creative community of our region into Bradfield as our urban centre begins to take shape.
“I thank our Arts and Culture Panel for their commitment and highly valuable guidance during this selection process and overall,” she concluded.
"We are looking forward with joy and wonder and awe to the potential of this opportunity, and we’re honoured to be developing these programs at Bradfield, allowing us to showcase the incredible talent and diversity of Western Sydney’s creative community," added PYT Director Jacqueline Hornjik.
“There is so much happening in creative spaces across our region, and we’re excited to help Bradfield grow into a cultural hub for the community to enjoy"
The Creative program includes the following events:
- Tinker Tours school program (Registrations directly through schools)
- Factories of the Future: Dioramas with Anney Bounpraseuth | 29 October and 5 November 2025. A craft and sculpting workshop for early primary school students who will build dioramas of the factories they dream of running in their future.
- Motion Lab: Where Dance Meets Science with Gabriela Green | 12 November and 26 November 2025. A dance workshop for late primary students who are interested in understanding the body through science, and its influences on the machine environment.
- Tinker Tours community program (Registrations for these events will open in March 2026)
- Mathematics & Aesthetics: Patterns in Nature & Design with Mel Silk | 22 April and 29 April 2026. A design and origami workshop designed to see patterns in the building and within the environment.
- Architecture & Construction: Re-designing the First Building with Louise O'Brien | 6 May and 13 May 2026. Looking at the architecture of the space knowing that the First Building can be fully disassembled and look to redesign the space for future perspectives.
- Women Who Launch – 7 November 2025 (Registrations now open)
- Exhibitions, performances, workshops and a panel of speakers in a special event honouring the history and future of women in STEM.
- ColliderFest – June 2026 (Full program to be announced in early 2026)
- Activities, performances, workshops and food trucks