The Northcote Rise Festival is making a long-awaited return to High Street after 13 years, after the event received support from the Andrews Labor Government.
The Northcote Rise Festival will take place on 18 February 2024, thanks to a grant from the Labor Government to the Northcote Business Association with the festival to be managed by local Northcote business, Perfect Events.
The theme for the family-friendly, all-ages festival is ‘Good Feels on the Rise’, and will feature local artists, outdoor dining, mini stages and stalls from Northcote’s finest local traders spread out along the famous Northcote Rise.
Funding will help Northcote Business Association cover the costs of running the large-scale event, including equipment hire, health and safety officers, permits, traffic management and other related fees.
The Government is helping revive street festivals in some of Melbourne’s key suburban retail precincts to revitalise shopping strips and boost local economies, with another festival in the iconic Chapel Street precinct slated to take place in early 2024.
To further support business, the Government committed $17 million in the Victorian Budget 2023-24 for multicultural traders and precincts, recognising their unique role in delivering for their local businesses and communities.
This includes funding to upgrade and revitalise business and cultural hubs in our multicultural precincts and grants to 10 peak multicultural traders’ associations to ensure their members have access to the services they need.
As stated by Minister for Small Business Natalie Suleyman
“We support the return of this beloved festival because we know how important it is to empower our business communities through the local groups that represent them – and Northcote is sure to deliver a festival not to be missed.”
As stated by Member for Northcote Kat Theophanous
“Northcote’s traders came to me with a vision for a festival that would bring people together, revive our local economy and showcase everything we love about our vibrant and eclectic High Street – we are so proud to back their exciting ideas and see this festival become a reality.”
As stated by Northcote Rise President Andrew Mansfield
“Northcote traders and small businesses have been doing it really tough over these last couple of years, and it is just so fantastic to have this event to look forward to, to boost the spirits of the community and bring some energy and excitement back to the High Street strip.”
