A drop in temperature certainly hasn’t cooled our appetite for live performance and events, so it’ll be music to your ears to hear there’s a brand new festival heating up this month in St Kilda.
Over ten big days between June 24-July 3, you can catch jazz, soul, funk, orchestral, R’n’B, indie and rock music from a suite of Victoria’s most popular musicians at the first Southside Live Winter Music Festival – and you can do it all for free.
There’s something in the 22 artist-strong, all-Victorian program for everyone. Get the party started with high-energy sets from hip-hop figurehead and Shepparton legend Briggs, pop powerhouse and festival darling Kira Puru, and post-punk outfit Pinch Points. Alternatively, ease into the evening with smooth soul from Emma Donovan and the Putbacks, eclectic funk from Hiatus Kayote and rising R’n’B star Pania. You can even feel extra cultured with classical music from acclaimed chamber ensemble Inventi and youth-led choral group Divisi.
The sound will be loud and location stunning, with artists performing from a stage set up on South Beach Lawn overlooking the bay. Surrounding it will be a pop-up winter festival wonderland featuring hot food vendors and steamy mulled wine under dazzling neon and light displays. The festival grounds will have everything you need for an easy-going, high-reward and low-commitment night out with friends and family, with no tickets needed to attend performances.
The festival is on just in time for the school holidays, and kids are being entertained too. Bring the tots along for tunes both catchy and educational by the Teeny Tiny Stevies, who make music teaching young ones to overcome self-doubt, try new things, learn from mistakes, work with others, and embrace the superpower that is perseverance. There will also be an adorable Bluey Live Experience that’s sure to be ragingly popular with the show’s army of fans, both big and small.
Southside Live runs from 6pm Friday, 3pm Saturday and 2pm Sunday. The Bluey Live Experience Runs Jun 29-Jul 1 at 10am, 11am and noon, and the Teeny Tiny Stevies play June 27-28 at 10.30am. Southside Live is presented by the Victorian Government’s On the Road Again, program, an initiative that supports the return of live music events across Victoria.