New winter festival to become major arts event for Melbourne

The Melbourne International Arts Festival and White Night will be merged to create a new international event that aims to be as big as the Grand Prix or Melbourne Cup and will focus on drawing a diverse audience to the city in the colder months.

The Andrews Government aims to create a festival that would attract international and ­interstate tourists, as well as suburban and regional visitors. Picture: Alex Coppel

The Melbourne International Arts Festival and White Night will be merged to create a new international event billed as strongly as the Grand Prix and Melbourne Cup.

In a bid to develop a sixth “pillar” on the state’s major events calendar — and the only creative one — the Andrews Government says the new program will take over precincts and venues for weeks of performing arts, sound and light shows, and culinary ­extravaganzas.

Starting next year, the festival will have a focus on ­providing accessible events that cater to younger crowds as well as a diverse audience, while leveraging off the city’s “after dark culture”.

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Victoria’s world-leading events schedule brings $1.8 billion into the state economy. Picture: Getty Images

It will be staged over several weeks in winter, filling a gap in the major events calendar that currently focuses on five ­sporting carnivals in warmer weather.

Victoria’s world-leading events schedule brings $1.8 billion into the state economy. The aim is to boost that by developing a festival that would attract international and ­interstate tourists as well as suburban and regional visitors.

Creative Industries Minister Martin Foley said the timing would be finalised before a “transitional” opening year in 2020.

The government announced last year that White Nightwould be ‘re-imagined’ as a three-day event this year. Picture: Ian Currie

“This bold new winter festival will build on Melbourne’s standing as a global cultural capital, showcasing our local artists and bringing our cultural arts institutions to life,” he said.

The Melbourne International Arts Festival grew out of a desire to attract large cultural events to Australia in the 1980s, but has struggled to ­attract a wide audience in ­recent years.

Last year’s event, however, featured the successful Fire Gardens show that took over the Botanic Gardens to present an ethereal mix of flaming art pieces and mystic music.

That sort of use of space and light is likely to be encouraged during the new festival.

Last year’s International Arts Festival featured the successful Fire Gardens show that took over the Botanic Gardens. Picture: Jason Edwards

The government announced last year that White Nightwould be “re-imagined” as a three-day event this year, including a regional event in Ballarat and a takeover of three Melbourne precincts: Carlton Gardens, Treasury Gardens and Birrarung Marr.

Regional events will continue even once the new festival begins.

White Nightis scheduled for Bendigo in 2020 and Geelong in 2021.

Tourism and Major Events Minister Martin Pakula said the new festival would “entice more visitors from around the world while helping to keep our hotels, restaurants and cafes bustling in the quieter winter months”.

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