Strong crowds enjoy the best of Australian arts and culture at 2014 St Kilda Festival

The St Kilda Festival, Australia's largest annual music festival, has drawn to a close after attracting strong crowds to enjoy the best of Australian arts and culture on the popular Festival Sunday (9th February).

In its 34th year, the entertaining nine-day program at St Kilda Festival showcased a wide range of outstanding artists, engaging activities, interactive workshops and family fun.

Despite gail force winds, thousands of festival lovers enjoyed performances from acclaimed music artists including The Bamboos, Art Vs Science and Alison Wonderland set against the spectacular backdrop of the St Kilda foreshore.

Festival Producer Adele Denison was proud to deliver Australia's biggest stage for both emerging artists and established musicians, with more than 150 artists performing in more than 50 venues during the Festival.

Denison explained "the St Kilda Festival continues to live up to its reputation as one of the best celebrations of Australian arts and culture.

"This year crowds of more than 300,000 turned out to support emerging Australian talent and enjoy what has become an icon on the summer calendar, the St Kilda Festival.

"The event couldn't happen without the artists, sponsors, partners, staff and volunteers, as well as the community of St Kilda, thank you for continuing to support this spectacular event."

Victoria's biggest Indigenous celebration, Yalukit Wilum Ngargee opened the Festival on Saturday 1st February in O'Donnell Gardens, where crowds enjoyed performances from Yirrmal and the Yolngu Boys and the Buddy Knox Band.

This year Live N Local expanded to South Melbourne and Port Melbourne for the first time, featuring more than 72 emerging artists perform across 32 venues from Saturday 2nd to Saturday 8th February.

Dedicated to celebrating local talent, the Live N Local program also offered a range of forums in the Artist Development Series, allowing artists to gain practical skills and advice from music industry experts.

On Festival Sunday, music lovers from across Melbourne enjoyed performances across nine different music stages and a vast array of entertainment and family fun, ranging from stunt shows by Lukey Luke, roaming Giant Teddy Bears on stilts and every kind of dance under the sun, from Bollywood and Swing to the sizzling Brazilian Showgirls.

To encourage support for the community driven event, St Kilda Festival launched 'Show you give a buck', a fundraising campaign encouraging festival lovers to 'kick in so we can kick on' and purchase merchandise to help Festival become a more financially stable event.

Public support for the initiative was strong, with all proceeds going directly back to the Festival and securing its future for years to come.

The St Kilda Festival is produced and presented by the City of Port Phillip and supported by Arts Victoria.

For further information please visit www.stkildafestival.com.au

14th January 2014 - MELBOURNE’S ST KILDA FESTIVAL LAUNCHES NEW FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

24th November 2012 - NINE-DAY ST KILDA FESTIVAL TO CELEBRATE SUMMER