Arts festivals unite to create new celebration of Melbourne
An arts festival combining elements of White Night and the former Melbourne International Arts Festival is in the works with the visual and musical spectacular to unveil across 12 nights. See what’s in store.
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A new Melbourne arts festival is on the horizon that will celebrate our city and the depth of its artistic talent.
The festival, Rising, combines White Night and the former Melbourne International Arts Festival and will open on May 26 next year, running for 12 nights. But artistic directors Hannah Fox and Gideon Obarzanek said it would be a completely new type of festival.
“It will centre around the night time as (Melbourne is) the only city in Australia that has a performing arts culture seven nights a week,” Fox said.
“It will be a festival that’s really reflective of Melbourne. This large-scale festival will establish Melbourne as a destination in itself.”
This week, there has been a $2 million call out for Victorian and Australian artists to submit their ideas for shows, exhibitions and events, which will be narrowed down to 100 applications before choosing about 50 acts to be on the program.
There will be a heavy focus on live music and the performing arts but it won’t be bound to certain venues.
“It will also have a stronger visual arts element than has ever been seen before,” Obarzanek said.
“We’re looking for a richer experience for audiences when they come into the city to engage more than before. It’s a festival for everyone, so it’s more about public theatre, public spaces and celebrating the features of our city. The city will be our stage.” Fox, who has directed popular Tasmanian arts festivals Mona Foma and Dark Mofo, said food and design would be part of the festival experience. The city’s buildings won’t feature projections, made popular in White Night, but there will be plenty of activity, with Fox also keen to incorporate some Melbourne suburbs, so it’s not limited to the CBD.