AN INVESTMENT IN CULTURAL CAPITAL

Lord Mayor Sally Capp, Chair of the Major Events portfolio, and Councillor Rohan Leppert, Chair of the Arts, Culture and Heritage Portfolio, announced Council’s draft Annual Plan and Budget 2019–20 will include significant funding for major events and the arts.

“We take our role as the nation’s major events capital seriously and that’s why we will invest $18.4 million this year in New Year’s Eve, Moomba Festival, Christmas, Melbourne Fashion Week and Melbourne Music Week,” the Lord Mayor said. “These major events generate more than $52 million in economic uplift for local businesses. They provide a boost to more than 2300 cafes and restaurants in the central city.

“Our major events put Melbourne on the map as a truly global city. In the past year, Melbourne’s jam-packed calendar has included some of the world’s most significant sporting events, worldwide conferences and the most sought-after theatre performances.

“Major events are integral to our booming tourism industry, which attracts 29 million visitors to Greater Melbourne each year. They’re also vital to the value of our night-time economy, which has increased by $197 million in turnover to $3.2 billion,” the Lord Mayor concluded.

The City of Melbourne also supports more than 60 other events throughout the year, including the Australian Open and Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.

Chair of the Arts, Culture and Heritage portfolio, Councillor Rohan Leppert, said the draft budget provides vital support to our creative industries, which contribute more than $23 billion a year to the Victorian economy.

“We’re investing $16.3 million to ensure the arts are integrated into all aspects of life in Melbourne. Whether you’re out on our streets, in our parks and gardens or visiting one of our iconic venues, we want creativity to be at the forefront of our city,” Cr Leppert said.

“The $4 million investment in our arts grants supports hundreds of artists every year. Our Creative Spaces program also supports artists by helping to connect creative people with studios and other infrastructure to support their practice.

“Our direct programming focuses on bold, ambitious ideas that reflect the diversity of the people who call Melbourne home. We have seen huge success across our programs, and they positively contribute to Melbourne’s reputation as a centre for creativity.

“Another part of this investment includes $1.6 million for programming tailored to children and young people through our ArtPlay and SIGNAL programs.”

Via City of Melbourne