Gertrude Street Projection Festival 2023

Overview

15 years. That's how long the Gertrude Street Projection Festival has been throwing up light installations along Melbourne's coolest street (sorry, Sydney Road). And it's back again this year, from July 27 to August 6. Ten nights of community, art, light, music and spectacle – all for free.

This year's lineup looks pretty stacked, with projections from some of Australia's best emerging and established artists. Names on the 2023 bill include the likes of Sarah Aiken, Tully Arnot, Chantal Bala, and Jamali Bowden.

"The 2023 Festival is a program that uses civic spaces to share the merging strands of history, technology, experience, materials, politics and emotions through the selected artworks," Centre for Projection Art's CEO, Priya Namana, says. "The Festival is a container that creates and holds space for our community and collaborators to share their individual visions in a hyperlocal landscape of collective gathering."

In other words, this festival is about more than cool projections and making people go 'Wow!'. It literally throws a light on the local spirit. This is Fitzroy up on a wall.

If you only catch one night of the festival, make it to the opening party on July 27. It's running from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. There'll be food from Vola, wintery booze from Long Prawn and pumping tunes after dark.

You can check out the full festival program here.

Images: supplied.