By Parker McKenzie and Cal Ludwig
Burrinja Cultural Centre in Upwey has announced that their annual music festival Live on the Lawn will be free for the 2022 edition, due to a one-off grant from the Federal Government’s Live Music Australia program.
Creative Director Gareth Hart said it is an event that we know will reconnect, strengthen and delight our local community.
“On the back of the year we have all had, we need to come back together as a community. We all deserve a chance to celebrate, to dance, to connect with friends new and old,” they said.
“Thanks to the Federal Government’s ‘Live Music Australia’ initiative, we are thrilled to be able to offer this event free of charge to our community. It is Burrinja’s pleasure to offer this festival to the community, without the financial barrier of ticketing that some people may experience.”
The program is a competitive grants opportunity for small to medium-sized venues supporting original Australian live music.
Gareth Hart said the music and creative industries continue to climb an uphill battle it attempts to recover from the devastating effects of the last two years.
“We are not yet recovered, but moments like Live on the Lawn will help us remember what we are aiming for.” they said.
“In 2021, we programmed an exclusively local line up, and in 2022 we have programmed a line up of female and femme artists from the greater Melbourne/Naarm region.”
The festival’s lineup consists of female-identifying artists including contemporary violinist, composer and singer-songwriter Xani Kolac of the Twoks, storyteller, composer and soundscape designer Allara, roots/pop artist Carolyn Oates and singer-songwriter Bec Sykes.
Gareth Hart said many of these artists will be known to music lovers in the hills and some will be new introductions.
“The music industry, like many others, stills sees a significant gender gap in regards to representation, pay and visibility,” they said.
“Through Live on the Lawn 2022, Burrinja hopes to address that in our own special way.”
The non-smoking, no B.Y.O. alcohol event will be held on Saturday 26 February at 12pm at The Park, Burrinja Cultural Centre.
Tickets are limited due to the size of the festival. Tickets can be reserved via the Burrinja website:
https://www.burrinja.org.au/live-on-the-lawn
