Acrobats take over!

An extraordinary outdoor circus, a vibrant pop-up festival precinct and a celebration of lights illuminating Melbourne after dark are among the latest events being supported by the City of Melbourne to boost evening trade for businesses this October.

The second tranche of the council and the Victorian Government’s Dusk till Dawn Activation Grants program was announced on October 3, supporting four new activations with up to $100,000 each, including:   

In Common by One Fell Swoop Circus and Melbourne Fringe – a large-scale live performance combining sculpture and circus in thrilling acrobatics. 

• Festival Park by Melbourne Fringe – an after-hours outdoor festival precinct at Queen Victoria Market, bringing together a pop-up circus tent, an outdoor live performance stage, art installations and food and drink market stalls. 
• Melbourne Emerging Screen Festival by 40 billion Pixels – a 17-day festival showcasing more than 100 video installations across two venues. 
• Diwali at Docklands by SarasCare – a celebration of lights bringing the sounds and sights of Diwali to life in the heart of Docklands.  

The City of Melbourne has hosted three Dusk till Dawn supported events this year, enticing almost 90,000 people into the city to create jobs and support local businesses.  

“Bolstering Melbourne’s twilight events calendar not only illuminates our city, but also electrifies our night-time economy,” Lord Mayor Sally Capp said.

“These activations will see more than 80,000 people flock to the city to experience the best of Melbourne – taking advantage of our incredible retail and hospitality offerings by day and sticking around to soak up the nightlife.” 

Melbourne’s night-time economy continues to soar, with night-time activity pedestrian activity in August at 118 per cent of pre-pandemic levels – up 21 per cent on the same period last year. 

The Dusk till Dawn Activation Grants program is a part of the $200 million Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund – a partnership between the City of Melbourne and the Victorian Government. 

More information: melbourne.vic.gov.au •

Photos by Hanna Komissarova.