On July 11th, 2026, YO Bendigo held their first ever Winter Ball and it was a roaring success! With local bands, a local DJ, red carpet entry and free pizza dinner, it was the coolest (pun intended) night of winter in 2026. For YO Events, a state funded Amplify committee, the planning started months ago. Led by Bee, a member of the events team, YO Events crafted all the winter decorations over four Wednesday afternoons.
Decorated with stars hanging from the ceiling, velvet ropes, and ascending to the ballroom, the red carpet was the beginning of a great night. Paparazzi lined the staircase, ready to take pictures of everyone’s beautiful outfits.
The ballroom was decorated with snowflakes, fairy lights and winter backdrops to take photos in front of. After attendees entered the ballroom, they were welcomed to the Winter Ball by the charismatic MC. Soon after, Hermetic Grove hit the stage. Hermetic Grove describes themselves as “a Funky Alt rock, Acid Jazz and R&B 5-piece band from Bendigo. Influenced by amazing musicians such as Jamiroquai, Fiona Apple, Funkadelic, Mac Miller and Thundercat. They have a great set of covers, and they are hoping to start work on some exciting new original material!”
After Hermetic Grove’s energetic performance, DJ Kyan kept everyone entertained. DJ Kyan has music in over 1000 TV shows and adverts around the world and has Djed at the Red Bull Art Gallery in London, Vega in Copenhagen, Kung FU Thursday in NYC, Taradale Spring ball, The Castlemaine State Festival, and The Theatre Royal. He helped start the first ever electronic music club night in Castlemaine. He also has a radio show on Main Fm 94.9 on Saturday Nights called the Wow Signal. YO Bendigo felt incredibly lucky to have him perform at Winter Ball.
With everyone still on the dance floor, it was time to announce the winner of the best dressed competition and the Winter Ball Monarchs were announced. They won a gift certificate to The Zone and a rather fetching crown for themselves.
After the cheers and applause died down, Aisle 27 were welcomed to the stage and kept the energy going. Aisle 27 is an unfiltered, alt-indie surf rock collective of five, blending smooth covers with their own raw originals. Drawn to the energy and inspiration of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ocean Alley, and Spacey Jane, they thrive on improvisation and a shared love of music.
After Aisle 27 finished performing, the event drew to a close. The MC thanked everyone for coming and gave a shout out to the YO Events team, without whom the Winter Ball couldn’t have happened.
Thank you to everyone that attended the Winter Ball and helped to make it such a big success! As it was the first event of its kind that YO Bendigo has done, it means so much to everyone involved that it was such a success. Look forward to another Winter Ball for 2027!