Melbourne could well be called The Festival City.
The wide range of ethnic communities that have settled in Melbourne, and
an inbuilt desire of many residents to 'get out and do something' means that
festivals of all sorts abound in Melbourne.
If you are out and about in Melbourne during a weekend, it is difficult
not to stumble across a community festival, street party or happening of
some sort.
The only warning is - don't expect the festival you
enjoyed last year to be happening again this year. Some festivals get
hijacked by special interest groups and lose the interest of the wider
community. Some don't take enough account of the local community or traders.
Others are poorly managed and go into receivership. Some are so
anxious to appeal to the 'now generation' that they find that the events
they have to plan 6 months in advance don't work because "we're so over
that!". All have been hit hard by the enormous rise in insurance costs. Some
have simply run their course. Some festivals that seem to have gone down one
or more of these paths (and possibly disappeared) include the
Brunswick Street
Street Party, the Chapel Street
Festival and the
Lygon Street Festival (or Festa) which has has had an on-again off-again
existence in recent years. Commercial festivals are subject to the
vagaries of the marketplace and despite a taxpayer subsidy of over $400,000
the Melbourne International Festival of Music and Blues was abandoned after
only two seasons.
But never mind. As soon as one festival disappears in Melbourne it is
replaced by another organised and funded by a new and vibrant community
group. Just keep your eyes open or subscribe to our
newsletter.
Some of our favourites include the Latin Festival
(previously called the Spanish Festival) in Johnson Street, the
various Chinese New Year Festivals, and the various activities surrounding
events such as the Grand Final and Melbourne Cup.
For those with an interest in the performing arts, there is always The
Melbourne Festival and its associated free activities.
Community Festivals
Garden Festivals and Events
Art & Music Festivals
Gertrude Street
Projection Festival
Craft, Collectables and Antiques Festivals and Fairs