Melbourne Loses An Arts Festival

Melbourne’s biennial arts-focused Big West Festival has announced it will cease operations at the end of 2016 after nearly 20 years in action.

Citing changes in the “contemporary landscape” and how they now fit into that equation, Chair of the Board of Directors Kirsty Ellem made a point that funding had no impact on the festival’s unanimous decision.

"While we acknowledge that there are current arts funding challenges, this did not determine our decision,” Ellem said.

“We are excited that the West is evolving as an engaged, resilient and creative community, blessed with a wide range of organisations that deliver high quality, cutting-edge, multi-cultural and multi-artform programs."

After being established in 1997, the organisation will dissolve once current projects wind down, including HOUSE, a theatre, social space prototype which will run at the end of November.