Whether you’re more partial to a lasagne-themed street party or an all-day music hop across dozens of venues, you can do both with the brand-new festival the Eighty-Six.
Running from October 23 to 31, the festival will take over venues along High Street in Melbourne's northern suburbs, from Westgarth to Preston. All along the 86 tram route, theatres, record stores, bars, restaurants and bowls clubs will participate in what is touted as the largest party a tram line has ever thrown.
The festival’s keynote event is Super Saturday, where, on October 28, more than 200 local selectors, artists and international guests will curate and host Super Saturday parties, including: Hope St Radio x All Are Welcome, When Pigs Fly, Soju Gang, 3RRR, Northside, The Round Table x Finders Keepers, No Lights No Lycra and more.
Whether you’re a veteran raver, a toddler or an old-school rocker, Super Saturday will showcase Melbourne’s multifarious music scene across 40 venues like Thornbury Theatre, Merri Creek Tavern, Capers, Northcote Social Club, and more. The festival has made the entire Super Saturday program free to attend on a first-come, first-served basis; make sure you register for your ticket at the website here.
In need of a plan of action? Well, while what you do with your Super Saturday remains at your discretion, the gang at Eighty-Six suggest you start your day at a café with a croissant listening to a folk band, meet some pals for lunch at the pub and listen to some post-punk band and round off the day on a techno-induced journey into the unknown with strangers in the club until dawn.
Efficient Space and Butter sessions will also present the first Independent Music Exchange, which will be a two-day celebration of crate-digging. Stallholders will present an array of vinyl, cassettes, merch, zines, posters and other speciality items.
At the 1800 Street Party, pasta connoisseurs 1800 Lasagne (read our recent five-star review here) are set to curate a food, music and beverage bonanza for the books. Cop a slice of cheesy bolognese lasagna, a glass of pet nat and listen to some jazz live on the streets.
The Eighty-Six festival will run from October 23 until 31, 2023. To discover more about the program, visit the website here.
