SATURDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2025 | FROM 5AM

Leading Australian contemporary artist Patricia Piccinini’s hyperreal hot air-balloon sculptures Skywhale and Skywhalepapa take flight at Red Hill Recreation Reserve. Pack a picnic, grab a coffee or breakfast from a food van and feel the anticipation build as the balloons inflate and take flight before your eyes. A soundscape sets the mood, followed by a special introduction from the visionary artist Patricia Piccinini herself. As the first light of day breaks over the Mornington Peninsula, the skywhales ascend and lift your spirits.

Free community event, presented by the National Gallery of Australia, hosted by MPRG & supported by the Friends of MPRG

Image: Patricia Piccinini, Skywhale, 2013 and Skywhalepapa, 2020, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, © Patricia Piccinini

Bookings are essential.