From a history-making First Nations exhibition at Flinders Street Station to a spectacular luminescent artwork floating above Fed Square, a new pop up food market in the heart of the city and a super-sized ice skating rink, the 2023 RISING festival is set to be another must do major event in Melbourne this winter.
Minister for Creative Industries and Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos joined the RISING team and participating artists Kutcha Edwards, Mo’Ju and Bart Willoughby today to unveil the 2023 program which will bring thousands of people to Melbourne’s CBD from 7-18 June.
Packed with music, food, visual art, theatre, dance and more, RISING 2023 will take over theatres, galleries and live music venues across the city while also bringing inspiring art outdoors with events and installations along the river, on trams, in Federation Square and projected onto Hamer Hall.
The St Paul’s Cathedral carpark will be home to RISING’s festival hub, complete with a food market and an evolving roster of performances ranging from DJs to epic puppets and sculptures.
Free and family activities are a strong feature of the festival. At Fed Square, thousands of biodegradable light sparks mimicking fireflies will light up the night sky.
The top floor of Flinders Street Station will be transformed into a giant art gallery for Shadow Spirit – Victoria’s largest ever exhibition of newly commissioned First Peoples art, curated by Kimberley Moulton. Melbourne Town Hall will also get the RISING treatment, becoming a giant immersive cinema for Euphoria.
A huge celebration of Victoria’s creative community, more than 180 of the participating artists are Victorian. They will share the stage with artists from the Netherlands, Japan, USA, South and West Africa and India.
Musician and storyteller Kutcha Edwards will host a line-up of First Peoples music talent in Waripa, while Warrnambool artist Matthew Clarke’s mob of three-metre-tall wallabies will be displayed on the banks of the Birrarung before being donated to schools across the state once the festival comes to a close.
In addition to the participating artists, RISING will provide job opportunities for more than 2,000 Victorian event workers including backstage crews and tech specialists, hospitality, security, ticketing staff and more.
RISING was established by the Andrews Labor Government to create a drawcard major event for Melbourne in the winter season. Last year close to 315,000 people attended the festival. RISING 2023 will run from 7-18 June. For the full program and ticket details visit .
Quote attributable to Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos
“Creativity, culture, music, food, fun – RISING brings together everything we love about Melbourne for 12 action-packed days and nights to deliver an amazing event and boost our city businesses.”
Quote attributable to RISING Co-Artistic Directors Hannah Fox and Gideon Obarzanek
“RISING is a mass celebration of Melbourne's unique culture in the heart of the city. The 2023 program is a rallying call to get involved, experience the new and be a part of a festival that couldn’t happen anywhere else.”
Reviewed 13 March 2023