Melbourne Fringe Festival to celebrate its 40th anniversary with return of historic parade

Melbourne’s Fringe Festival will celebrate its 40th anniversary in October with a massive block party and the return and reimagination of the historic Fringe Parade funded through funded through a $9.8 million state government package.

The Melbourne Fringe Parade and Lygon Street Block Party will feature music, dance, and creative floats taking over the streets of Carlton – following decades of the original Fringe Parade Brunswick Street.

Funded through the $200 million Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund – a partnership with the City of Melbourne – this latest package includes an exciting line up of creative experiences that will roll out over the next 12 months.

A special collaboration between Fed Square, Koorie Heritage Trust, ACMI and the NGV will see the launch of AR.Trail, Melbourne’s largest, free augmented reality art trail. Running from 18th August to 30th September, the public can roam the venues to discover 22 digital artworks including a number of commissions by Australian artists.

Literary luminaries will headline Wheeler Centre events, while Sidney Myer Music Bowl will host live performances over summer. Melbourne Museum will sparkle with DJs, dinosaurs and after-dark exhibition experiences.

Melbourne’s cultural venues will be alight with projections, immersive installations, screenings and audio-visual tours, while up-sized editions of Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Midsumma, Melbourne Writers Festival and more will fill the city with more laughs, tunes and fuel for the mind and soul.

Victorian Minister for Creative Industries, Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos notes “the return of the Fringe Festival Parade will showcase the very best Melbourne has to offer – and the flow-on effects of hundreds of festival goers each night enjoying the city and its restaurants and bars will be enormous.”

Simon Abrahams Chief Executive and Artistic Director Melbourne Fringe enthused “thanks to this support, we are thrilled to bring the Melbourne Fringe Parade back for our 40th anniversary alongside our largest Festival ever. We invite anyone who believes in the centrality of creativity in our culture to join us.”

The 2022 Melbourne Fringe Festival will take place 6th-23rd October

To be part of the Melbourne Fringe Parade, visit melbournefringe.com.au.

Image: Melbourne Fringe 2019 Yummy Deluxe Credit Theresa Harrison