By Jon Miller 6th Jul

Sophomore arts event a huge success

Fifty-One returned to the Pony Room in Manly this week for another generous helping of after-hours art.

The night, which supports local creatives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, hosted the first of its special themed events, Dia de los Muertos, celebrating the Mexican Day of the Dead.

Alongside exhibiting artists Nic Bazar, Sabina Fatt, Louis Leimbach and Billy Reilly punters were treated to a live mariachi band and a Mexican-themed life drawing class.

The networking night’s equivalent of a ‘tricky second album’ lived up to all expectations with a full house and people waiting in the cold to get a glimpse of the art.

For something that has relied solely on Facebook promo, street teaming and word of mouth, its amazing to see so many passionate people attending. The opportunity to change people’s perceptive of Northern Beaches folk, to show Sydneysiders that something creative can come out of the area, is clearly a big draw.

The night remains free and is run on a non profit basis. It is only possible thanks to support from Edge and soft drink manufacturers Bionade. Between them they are building a strong artistic future for the area, and thoughts are already focused on the next event.

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Photography by Liz Keene