The event is part conference, part festival, all focused on showcasing regional art.

Between October 27 and 30 there will be art displays, dancers, musicians, visual experiences and everything in between.

“It’s a very diverse program and very competitive. People are going to have to choose what they want to do because there will be multiple things on at the same time,” Mr Pritchard said.

“It was hard to decide what to leave out because I wanted to cover all the genres, and I wanted to have Aboriginal art in all of the genres.”

About 600 people are expected to attend the event, Mr Pritchard said, with Dubbo’s hotels already filled to the brim.

ARTLANDS is expected to inject at least $360,000 into the economy, according to Dubbo Regional Council.

“The conference is really a showcase of regional artists. A lot of people are coming from Sydney and then all across Australia,” Mr Pritchard said.

The event is held every two years and the artistic director said Dubbo was chosen as the current location due to the high value council placed on culture, with impressive buildings like the Western Plains Cultural Centre and the Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre.

“They’re huge gems in Dubbo, the two buildings, and everyone goes to everything,” Mr Pritchard said.

He said the biggest wow factor would come from opening night, which would include a giant spider puppet and balloons overlaid with projections.

With only a week util the opening of the festival and conference, Mr Pritchard said there had been a few hiccups but everything was starting to come together.

More information, including the festival program is available at artlands.com.au.