According to Martin Foley, Minister for Creative Industries, the festival will celebrate the city’s culinary, creative and cultural strengths and he added:
“This bold new winter festival will build on Melbourne’s standing as a global cultural capital, showcasing our local artists and bringing our cultural arts institutions to life.”
He said a team of creative individuals will be responsible for putting together a diverse and innovative programme of performing and visual arts which will see city precincts taken over on a large scale filling venues and laneways.
Tim Orton, who chairs the Melbourne International Arts Festival, said the festival will provide some great opportunities for creators and artists as well as attract increased numbers of international, interstate and Victorian visitors while showcasing the cultural excellence of Melbourne to the rest of the world.
Ticketed and free events will be available throughout the festival, which is expected to be staged for the first time in the winter of 2020. The many and varied aspects of special events such as this festival are often the subject of promotional brochure printing.
It is expected that the new festival will boost Victoria’s calendar of major events which already contributes an estimated $1.8 billion annually into the economy, according to Foley.