Melbourne's first ever Rising festival has been forced to cancel the remainder of its dates and events following the extension of Melbourne's lockdown.
Rising originally said it would "pause" the festival and cancel all events to June 4, at which time it would consider a decision regarding the events remaining. The extension of lockdown makes that decision clear cut, with events scheduled June 4 to 6 now also cancelled.
Co-artistic directors Hannah Fox and Gideon Obarzanek said in a statement: "Created by literally hundreds of artists, most of the shows and events for the festival were made during previous lockdowns or heavy restrictions. So while this current outcome is not unexpected, we are devastated by how this present COVID outbreak and lockdown has impacted the thousands of people working on our festival and the many hundreds of thousands of people unable to attend. Our commitment to artists and audiences however remains adamant and with continued resilience we look forward to a future when they can come together again."
Refunds will be offered to all ticket holders, and Rising also gives patrons the option to donate the cost of their tickets to the festival instead.
In a beacon of hope, the outdoor First Nations-led events Ancestral Memories, Wandering Stars and The Rivers Sing will be able to proceed. Rising asks that you do not travel beyond your 5km or 10km bubbles to experience these works, but consider enjoying them as part of permitted daily exercise if they lie within your bubbles. The Rivers Sing can also be enjoyed nightly at home via Instagram Live.
Patricia Piccinini's A Miracle Constantly Repeated at Flinders Street Station Ballroom is currently expected to reopen from June 15, with the exhibition slated to run until the end of August.
Rising says it is looking into ways Victorians can continue to experience this year's festival into the future.