Live Music Festivals Fund To Give Victorian Fests A Financial Boost
“Victoria’s music festivals are the lifeblood of communities across our state,” said Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks.
St Kilda Festival (Source: Supplied)
Music Victoria and the state’s Allan government are coming together to give local festivals a financial leg-up with a new round of grants.
Announcing the second round of the Live Music Festivals Fund on Thursday, February 13th, the series of grants will allow operators of festivals with more than 1,000 attendees are eligible to apply for grants of up to $50,000.
In 2024, the first round of the Fund awarded grants to 22 festivals, with almost two-thirds from regional Victoria. This included the likes of Creswick’s CresFest, which runs from April 4th – 6th, and Echuca-Moama’s Riverboats Festival, which launches this weekend.
“The grant through the Live Music Festivals Fund has been a game changer for CresFest in 2025,” said CresFest Co-Director Judy Turner.
“It means we can finally stop worrying about the last-minute nature of ticket sales, and in another brilliant thing for our town, this funding has enabled CresFest to contribute to making events at the Creswick Courthouse accessible to all.”
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The second round of the Live Music Festivals Fund comes following a difficult time for Australian festivals. In an era when a high cost of living has made large-scale events somewhat unattainable, and when low ticket sales have resulted in many events forced to downsize or cancel altogether, it’s a refreshing lifeline to a scene that slowly returns to its vibrant status.
It’s also one of the many ways the Labor Government is aiding the Victorian music industry, with the likes of 10,000 Gigs: The Victorian Gig Fund now open for applications from venues, Music Works looking to provide grants for musicians and industry workers, and the newly established Victorian Music Industry Advisory Council.
“Victoria’s music festivals are the lifeblood of communities across our state,” said Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks. “They provide jobs for event workers, they’re a rite of passage for young music lovers, and they provide real opportunity for artists to build their careers.
“Music festivals across the country have faced a challenging time, and we are proud to back our much-loved local festivals and the communities that host them.”
“Music Victoria is proud to support the Victorian Government’s vital ongoing investment in Victoria’s live music festival sector,” added Acting Music Victoria CEO Kirsty Rivers. “Our festivals are an essential part of Victoria’s cultural life and bring connections, opportunity and employment to artists, creative workers, and local communities.”
Applications for the Live Music Festivals fun are open from 10am on Tuesday, February 25th, and close at 2pm on Tuesday, March 25th. An online information session will be held on Tuesday, March 4th to aid with the application process, with full details to be made available via the Music Victoria website.
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
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