Will travel for music: Music festivals in Melbourne
FROM jazz to burlesque, Elizabeth Yick introduces you to music festivals around Melbourne worth making the distance for.
Apollo Bay Music Festival
Friday April 26 – Sunday April 28, Apollo Bay
If you have yet to visit the Great Ocean Road, this festival provides a good chance for a fun-filled weekend away.
The Apollo Bay Music Festival began in 1992, as a community not-for-profit celebration of music, culture and township. Since then, it has become one of the most popular events in Victoria, attracting some 5000 people each year.
The festival is known for its headline acts of famous Australian artists as well as a platform for emerging musicians. Artists who have performed at the festival include the John Butler Trio and Kasey Chambers.
Aside from music, there are also comedy acts, theatre and dance performances.
Tickets are can be booked online, with weekend passes priced at $145. Single day passes are also available. For more information including access and artist line-ups, visit the event’s official site.
Supafest4
Saturday April 27 (1-10.30pm), Flemington Racecourse
The biggest hip-hop and urban music festival to tour around Australia, Supafest began only three years ago in 2010.
However, in the few short years, it has firmly established itself to be one of the most anticipated events on the urban music calendar, with headliners such as Akon, Pitbull, Snoop Dogg, Nelly, Chris Brown and Lupe Fiasco, just to name a few.
This year, the eagerly awaited line-up was released in early March, and includes some seriously big names like T.I., Akon, Ne-Yo, and 50Cent.
Tickets for the Melbourne show are now available on ‘pre-sale’ via the Supafest Australia official website, with general admission going for $115 and the ‘Bling-Ring’ priced at $210.
Melbourne International Jazz Festival
Friday May 31 – Sunday June 9, various locations around Melbourne
Jazz is said to have originated from the homeless communities in the Southern part of the United States of America. Its genre is a fusion of both African and European musical roots.
The Melbourne International Jazz Festival runs over a period of 10 days, featuring a variety of performances and shows by numerous internationally renowned artists. And, in the true spirit of the genre’s origins, the Festival will be holding daily free concerts in Federation Square from 12 to 1pm, to share the happiness that this music brings with the public.
The free concerts will feature Australia’s most promising young musicians, and are a great chance for those unfamiliar with jazz to dip their toes in the genre.
For more information on the various concerts and performances, visit the Melbourne International Jazz Festival website, or have a look at Meld’s coverage of the event last year.
Australian Burlesque Festival
Thursdays June 6 – Sunday June 9, various locations around Melbourne
‘Burlesque’ – is it theatre, is it dance, is it music, or is it really just a fancy name for stripping? In recent years, the art of burlesque has seen a revival in popular culture, with features in blockbusters such as Moulin Rouge and Chicago; and more recently, the film Burlesque.
In Melbourne, burlesque is actually very popular – if a little underground – form of theatrical music performance. For those who are rather curious about it, but are a little hesitant to venture to one of the many burlesque bars, the Australian Burlesque Festival provides a great opportunity to explore the genre.
The festival consists of four shows. A competition for up-and-coming performers entitled Baby Bombshells, a dark seductive take on traditional burlesque in Empress Erotique, the much anticipated main gala event The Big Tease, and finally Nouvelle Royale, a more edgy neo-burlesque performance.
Further information is available on the festival’s official website.