St Kilda Festival 2014: Australia’s best free music festival
EVERY year in February, St Kilda’s foreshore turns into one of Australia’s biggest and oldest festivals – one that captures the spirit of Summer. Sol Ahn fills you in on what to do over the festival period.
Image: LindsayT… via Flickr
Starting in the 1980s, St Kilda Festival is one of Australia’s oldest music festivals. What started as a one-day event has evolved into a nine-day street fair that has attracted more than 300,000 people to St Kilda’s foreshore every year.
And why shouldn’t they visit? St Kilda Festival has remained an integral component of Melbourne’s event calendar due to its festive environment, celebration of music and promotion of the arts. Best of all, the St Kilda Festival is absolutely free!
Opening the St Kilda Festival is the ‘Yalukit Wilum Ngargee: People Place Gathering’ is the ninth year that this event has taken place in St Kilda Festival. Those wishing to learn more about indigenous culture or simply have a good time in a different environment will be able to partake in a program of indigenous entertainment featuring a range of indigenous musicians, dancers and performers.
Closing St Kilda Festival is the big ‘Festival Sunday’ on February 9, where visitors will get to experience Australia’s local music scene across eight stages.
Artists such as blues singer, Shaun Kirk, rockers, Kingswood and local DJ, Alison Wonderland can be found tearing it up on the main stage.
If you’re not a fan of the mosh pit, a range of free dancing performances and workshops are available as well. From Zumba to Jhoom Bollywood dancing, these and many other dance activites have been all programmed in the ‘Dancezone’ on Sunday.
In addition to music and dancing, traffic is closed off giving way to a plethora of vendors for the bustling street market as well as the installment of carnival rides.
In between the opening and closing events, you can find St Kilda Festival has also planned for select St Kilda venues to feature emerging local talent in a block they call, ‘Live ‘N Local’. Aiming to enhance the festival’s summer spirit during the evening, a range of planned comedy acts, musicians, films and art exhibits will be available to catch for the duration of the festival.
Keep in mind, however, that the St Kilda Festival is a mostly alcohol free event (depending on the venue). However on Festival Sunday, visitors are allowed to consume alcohol in limited areas.
If you’re interested to see what the Australian summer is all about – look no further than the festivities found at St Kilda Festival this year!
For more information on St Kilda Festival 2014, please visit their official website.