Now or Never Is the Major New Festival Set to Hit Melbourne This Winter

Melbourne loves a good citywide festival, as you would have noticed from the likes of White Night, RISING and Melbourne Fringe. And now, it's getting another one to add to the collection — a huge 17-day event that's set to make its debut this winter, serving up a bumper celebration of creativity, innovation and big ideas.

While the City of Melbourne festival was first announced in November last year, its name has only just been revealed. The inaugural Now or Never will descend on the city from Thursday, August 17–Saturday, September 2, taking the place of two existing events: Melbourne Music Week and Melbourne Knowledge Week.

The festival is set to deliver a hefty program of free and ticketed events spanning a diverse array of experiences, art, talks, installations, music, culinary delights and more. And organisers are teasing a big lineup of boundary-pushing creatives and innovators from both near and far, who'll help bring it all to life.

Lycheeart, via Unsplash

With a calendar of happenings running both by day and into the night, you'll be able to immerse yourself in everything from virtual reality experiences, live tunes and digital exhibitions through to multi-sensory feasts, thought-provoking talks and captivating visual art.

"The inaugural Now or Never festival will celebrate the evolution of Melbourne's creative scene and provide an opportunity for Australians to experience experimental work from overseas," Lord Mayor Sally Capp said. She also confirmed the program would "be jam-packed with unmissable events and experiences for all ages".

Further details about the fest are set to drop in May, with the full program to follow in June.

Melbourne Knowledge Week

Now or Never will run from Thursday, August 17–Saturday, September 2 at venues across the city. We'll share more details as they come.

Top image: Melbourne Music Week.