Melbourne International Arts Festival 2018

(Source: Melbourne International Arts Festival)

From soaring cathedrals of sound to the sweat of the circus and boxing rings, this year’s Melbourne International Arts Festival will be an extraordinary adventure through global and local arts, filled with inspiring experiences for people of all ages.

Melbourne Festival Artistic Director, Jonathan Holloway, today announced the 2018 Melbourne Festival program, a spectacular line-up of dance, theatre, visual arts, architecture, contemporary and classical music, and free events taking place throughout the city from 3 – 21 October 2018.

From show-stopping world premieres to family friendly events, the 2018 program will see the Festival take over some of the city’s most iconic spaces.

(Source: Melbourne International Arts Festival)

The Royal Botanic Gardens will become home to the UK’s leading contemporary circus company NoFit State with the only Australian performance of LEXICON, an extraordinary production celebrating the rich 250-year history of the circus ring.

Festival-goers are encouraged to board the Melbourne Art Trams, which tips its hat to its origins this year, recreating the raucous, bold and mischievous work produced by the late David Larwill for the Transporting Art Project in 1986. The tram was painted as part of the commemoration of the United Nations International Year of Peace but has been in storage for more than 20 years. The design has been photographed and designed to be wrapped on a modern tram.

The Melbourne Festival opens on Wednesday 3 October with TANDERRUM – part opening ceremony and part Welcome to Country – as we celebrate the ground we stand on and the people whose ancestors walked it before our time.

Melbourne Festival takes place from 3 – 21 October 2018. Tickets will be available from midday Monday 30 July at festival.melbourne #melbfest

Date: 3 - 21 October

Location: Various

(Source: Melbourne International Arts Festival)