The Best New Melbourne Events of 2021
These events filled our year with live music, thought-provoking food experiences, unique outdoor cinemas and more.
The Best New Melbourne Events of 2021
These events filled our year with live music, thought-provoking food experiences, unique outdoor cinemas and more.
Running events in the arts and hospitality industry can be tough enough at the best of times, let alone when your city is drifting in and out of restrictions and lockdowns.
But despite the challenges served up by 2021, the year had plenty of shining lights. There was an avalanche of exciting new restaurant and bar openings to sink our teeth into outside of lockdowns, and some adventurous, thought-provoking and all-round joyous events took place over the last 12 months.
From ground-breaking exhibitions to huge concerts, 2021 still managed to deliver the goods — and we've pulled together a list of six of the year's most memorable events. While many fantastic gigs, festivals and shows were cancelled due to the pandemic, these are the ones that managed to go ahead and fill our year with good food, music, art and culture.
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The much-anticipated debut of citywide arts festival Rising didn’t get to enjoy its full run, thanks to an unfortunately timed lockdown. But the handful of events and installations it was able to host before restrictions kicked in were met with plenty of applause.
The long-planned celebration kicked off on the May 26 full moon, encouraging the audience to “celebrate the night with a surge of art, music and ceremony in the heart of the city”. A $2 million fund invited local artists to create shows, exhibitions and events for the program, calling for ideas that were as boundary-pushing as possible.
Image: ‘Wandering Stars’
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On October 30, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl hosted Melbourne’s first big event in months, coming off the back of lockdown with new one-day music fest Play On Victoria.
A sell-out success, it was held for a solely double-vaccinated audience of 4000, in an effort to test the state’s reopening settings in the post-lockdown period. Local music-lovers got right back into the swing of things, as acts like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Baker Boy, Amyl and the Sniffers, Grace Cummings, and Vika and Linda Bull all took to the stage.
Top image: Piknic Electronik, Wade Malligan.
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An experiential event designed to shake up the way we think about the future of food, technology, art and more, Higher Order popped up from November, featuring the culinary stylings of Scott Pickett (Estelle, Matilda). Audiences were invited on an immersive journey through multiple themed zones starring evocative installations and matched dishes. There was a larger-than-life bamboo steamer that you could walk inside to eat bao, and even a reimagined vending machine built on the idea of eliminating single-use plastics.
More audio and visual delights came courtesy of works by Loose Collective and Studio John Fish, backed by a specially curated soundtrack.
Image: Jake Roden
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This year, Urbnsurf, Melbourne’s man-made surf park hosted its first-ever outdoor cinema series, screening six surfing-themed flicks over six nights. And yes, 1991 Keanu Reeves gem Point Break was definitely on the bill.
Eats and drinks were a part of the Friday and Saturday night offering, courtesy of onsite restaurant Three Blue Ducks. Then, crowds grooved to live tunes before the movie action kicked off straight after sunset. The film lineup also included faves like The Endless Summer, She Is the Ocean and Reckless Isolation.
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Melbourne’s new 3000-square-metre, 11-metre-high immersive digital art gallery opened in November, set to project some of the world’s most famous artworks in large-scale format. Its inaugural exhibition celebrates the works and life of Vincent van Gogh, allowing you to walk through his famous masterpieces including The Starry Night and Sunflowers. For the latter, there’s a dedicated mirror infinity room filled with sunflowers. Elsewhere, expect a reimagined Café Terrace 1888, and a life-size recreation of Van Gogh’s The Bedroom.
On top of that, a carefully curated fusion of colour, sound, taste and aroma lets you experience the works of the famed Dutch artist like never before.
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The NGV’s ambitious NGV Triennial exhibition also featured the ultimate supporting act — a month-long series of tunes, performances, eats and drinks, dubbed Triennial Extra.
Taking over the NGV International precinct nightly for a month, this free festival offered late-night access to the NGV Triennial, to enjoy alongside an exclusive menu by Tonka. There were pop-up bars and bespoke Triennial-inspired pastries from Lune Croissanterie, not to mention a jam-packed DJ lineup curated by the folks at Melbourne Music Week, featuring Andee Frost, Pjenné, Sui Zhen and more.
Top Image: NGV Nights
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