Music will ring out from the Sidney Myer Music Bowl again this summer as part of a new plan to bring Melburnians back to the city's best cultural institutions. As part of the state government's $17.2 million package for the city's cultural industries, Sidney Myer will this summer host Live at the Bowl – an outdoor festival featuring more than 40 performances.
To ensure a safe event, Arts Centre Melbourne (which manages Sidney Myer Music Bowl) has released renders of how such a large event could look and work. The renders hint at separate platforms being used to keep groups of attendees separate, and spacing out these platforms across the venue's large lawn.
Live at the Bowl is just one part of the multimillion-dollar package for the arts. A number of other initiatives are being funded to get Melburnians back enjoying art while also creating jobs. Other projects being created include the Melbourne Museum Summer Plaza series (where the museum's plaza will become an outdoor entertainment and food space), the NGV Triennial Extra Festival (which will see the gallery open late for free performances and programming), a month of events from Geelong Arts Centre and Deakin University, and creative outdoor activations at the State Library of Victoria, Melbourne Recital Centre, Fed Square and the newly refreshed ACMI. Over $4 million from the package will also be used to let arts organisations and festivals like Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Midsumma present outdoor programs during summer and autumn.
The program for the Live at the Bowl performance series is expected to be released in early December.