Sleepless Footscray Festival 2023

Footscray boomed a while ago, and it's arguably cooler than uber-gentrified Collingwood these days. Case in point: the Sleepless Footscray Festival, which is back in 2023 to turn Footscray into one giant arts and live music playground from June 17 to July 1.

Produced by Stargazed Productions, Sleepless is a community arts festival, which means most acts are homegrown right here in Melbourne's west. It runs for two weeks and features a huge line-up of immersive experiences, performances, art installations and food pop-ups.

"Sleepless Footscray Festival has been created with an emphasis on showcasing the area's rich history, melting-pot of cultures, and potential for growth and revitalisation post-pandemic," said Sleepless Festival co-founder JJ Wilson says.

"Our first festival was a hit among artists and punters alike, so we're thrilled to be back bigger and better this year."

When JJ says "bigger", he means it with events sprawling over Footscray's laneways, main drags and even unused buildings.

To kick things off, there's a free Live Music Safari on June 17, which runs at ten live music venues across the suburb. You're free to wander and enjoy, and it'll cost you exactly nothing. Expect a solid collection of electro-acoustic and ambient acts, including Puscha, Genevieve Fry, Yaika, Zoltan Fesco, Crumbhorn Knotting, Pat Telfer, Sofia Carbonara and Helen Svoboda, while Mamma Chen's is hosting a celebration of Asian musicians with Joelistics, Minhy, Y.C Liu and Y. Lynn and Tiana Khas.

You can browse the full program here. Ticket prices will vary, depending on what you want to see.

Images: Supplied, Minhy and Cafe Play.