The Melbourne Fringe Festival will celebrate its 40th anniversary in October with a huge block party and the return of the historic Fringe Parade as part of a boost to creative events.
Latte Juggling in the 1988 Bartender Race as part of the Brunswick Street Parade. Photographer Ponch Hawkes
The return of the iconic parade, funded through a $9.8 million package, will boost traffic in and around Melbourne’s CBD with thousands of visitors.
The Melbourne Fringe Parade and Lygon Street Block Party will feature music, dance and creative floats taking to the streets of Carlton, a re-imagining of the original Brunswick Street parade that was an annual festival event between 1984 and 2001.
The parade also sees the return of the much-loved Cursa de Cambrers, where local diners take to the streets with coffee in hand to run without spilling a drop (1988 race pictured).
Funded through the $200 million Melbourne City Revitalization Fund, a partnership with the City of Melbourne, this latest package includes an exciting line-up of creative experiences to be developed over the next 12 months.
A special collaboration between Fed Square, Koorie Heritage Trust, ACMI and NGV will see the launch of AR.Trail, Melbourne’s largest free augmented reality art trail. From 18 August to 30 September, the public can tour the spaces to discover 22 digital artworks including various commissions from Australian artists.
Literary luminaries will headline events at the Wheeler Center, while Sidney Myer Music Bowl will host live performances throughout the summer. Melbourne Museum will shine with DJs, dinosaurs and exhibition experiences after dark.
Melbourne’s iconic cultural venues will be lit up with screenings, immersive installations, screenings and audiovisual tours, while the biggest editions of the 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. To be part of the Melbourne Fringe Parade, visit melbournefringe.com.au.