PHOTO Geoff Hutchinson

RISING ⠃2 0 2 3 A N N U A L REVIEWRISING ACKNOWLEDGES THE TRADITIONAL
CUSTODIANS OF THE LANDS ON WHICH WE LIVE,LEARN AND WORK. WE PAY OUR RESPECTS TOTHE KULIN ELDERS AND ALL ABORIGINALAND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES.

Melbourne is a city defined by its creative culture and RISING is
the festival that reflects that: progressive, inclusive, andunconventional. In only its second iteration, RISING gathered
respected and world-renowned names in music, performanceand public art, who joined a growing and more diverseaudience base.
Under the glow of the RISING neon sign on Flinders Street Station,
the CBD was immersed in a palpable festival atmosphere. The
walkable festival footprint, abundance of free and low-costofferings and blessing of mild weather drew more than 750,000
in attendance.
Half of this year’s program was free or priced at less than $30,
bringing in families, international students, tourists and locals.
The festival engaged 941 artists, including 130 First Peoples
artists, and created more than 1,800 jobs that brought art andculture to the masses. More than 110,000 people across 10,000
Kazoos, Night Trade, Anthem in St Paul’s Cathedral, SPARK atFederation Square and The Rink at Birrarung Marr. Thousands
more journeyed through Flinders Street Station’s upper levels
for Shadow Spirit; the largest commission of First Peoples
contemporary art in Victoria’s history.
RISING acknowledges our Principal Partner, the Victorian
Government through Visit Victoria and Creative Victoria for theirvision and steadfast support since the festival’s inception. We
also thank City of Melbourne, as well as the many dedicatedpublic supporters, trusts and foundations, donors, corporate,
brand and venue partners, whose support is integral to thefestival’s presentation and impact each year.
And of course, none of this would have been possible if it weren’t
for the RISING staff and board who dedicate so much to makethis incredible festival happen—we cannot thank you enough.
RISING 2023 set the tone for what’s to come and we can’t wait tocelebrate RISING 2024 with you next June.

HANNAH FOX

GIDEON OBARZANEK

Co-Artistic Directors / Chief Executives

PHOTO Michael Pham

RISING IS AN EXPRESSION
OF MELBOURNE’S IDENTITY –A DIVERSE CITY OF ARTISTS,
MUSICIANS AND CREATIVETHINKERS WHO TOGETHERCREATEANUNMISSABLE
CULTURALDESTINATION.
RISING’s second iteration—which ran from 1 – 18 June withextended seasons for The Rink and Shadow Spirit — drew crowds
in the hundreds of thousands.
A walkable festival footprint, abundance of free and low-costofferings and blessing of mild weather helped to successfully
attract a broader and more diverse audience than previous years.
Families, international students, tourists and locals were invited
to participate in an expansive and generous program that usedthe city as a canvas.
Awards•	Music Victoria Awards – Best Metro Festival•	VTIC Awards – Bronze in Major Events and Festivals Category•	Anthem Awards – Education, Art & Culture - Community EventFinalist, 10,000 Kazoos – Silver award“ T H E R E I S A C E R T A I N JE NE SAIS QUOI THAT ELEVATESR I S I N G A B O V E S I M I L A R C O N C E P TS. MAYBE IT’S THE
A B U N D A N C E O F W A Y S I N W H I C H I T MAKES THE CITY COMET O L I F E , W I T H S O M A N Y S H A R E D MOMENTS WITHIN AND
A R O U N D M E L B O U R N E ’ S F A M I L I A R MONUMENTS.”
— NME

10,000 Kazoos

PHOTO Shannyn Higgins

PROGRAMSNAPSHOT

Anthem by Wu Tsang

PHOTO Shannyn Higgins

The Damned and Witch

The Dan Daw Show

Thundercat

Tiny Infinite Deaths

MadlibOh Deer!

Multitudes

Weyes Blood

Identity

Tracker

Wallabies

Oil Pressure Vibrator

Under Maintenance

WaripaSPARKReal Lies

Hear My Eyes: Good Time

Esa's Afro-Synth Band Ft. Kamazuand Mim SuleimanHide the Dog

Liquid Architecture

Queer PowerPoint

10,000 Kazoos

An Australian Songbook

AnthemKERFEW in-conversation withArushi Jain

Radical Access: in-conversation

Birdz & Fred Leone Present: Girra

Consort of the Moon

Making Euphoria: inconversation

Lorraine James and Arushi Jain

Night Trade

Shadow Spirit

Ethel Cain

THISElectric: Spirit of the Lands

Ichiko Aoba
Paul Kelly: Drinking

First Peoples Melbourne Art
Trams

Cornelius & Shintaro Sakamoto

Yazmin Lacey

Goddess: Up Late

Liv.e & Obongjayar

Ruth Radelet

Dine at Dusk

RVG

Hand to EarthMoon Bites

Ghetto Biennale

Radical Access: in-conversationBuŋgulSPARK: in-conversation

NTS Closing Party

The Rink

Shadow Spirit Talks Series

The Rink
Multitudes
Wallabies
SPARK
Hide the Dog
10,000 Kazoos

SPARK: in-conversation

Euphoria

Black MassTANZRISING ⠃IN NUMBERS

757,7932521

W O RL DP R E M IE R E S

FREEEVENTS

7930

PEOPLEATTENDED

443

PERFORMANCES
OVER

60

DAYS

N E W A U S T R A L IAN
WORKSEVENTS36
CO M M I S S I O N E DWORKS

128,472
TICKETSSOLD760
VICTORIAN
SUPPLIERS ENGAGED$4.6m
INVESTED IN
VICTORIAN ARTISTS

RISING ⠃IN NUMBERS

941

73%AR T I S T S I N V O V L E D

NEW AUDIENCESCOMPARED 2022

14%

AGE BREAKDOWN

OF P R O J E C T S L E D B Y
F I R S T N A T I O N S A R T I STS

1% 18-19

15.2% 20-29

26.1% 30-39

23.5% 40-49

16.1% 50-59

16% 60+IDENTIFYING AS
26% INTERSTATE

71.9% WOMAN

56% VICTORIAN

18% INTERNATIONAL

1,800

A R T I S T S , A R T S W O R K ERS
AN D C R E W E M P L O Y E D

23.7% MAN

2.4% NON-BINARY

0.4% SELF DESCRIBE

1%5%11%FIRS TPEOPL E S

A PERSON WITHA DISABILITYCULTURALLY &LINGUISTICALY DIVERSEMARKETINGEthel Cain
PHOTO Ian Laidlaw

RISING’s 2023 Marketing and Communications campaign
reached new and broader audiences, reinforcing RISING
as Melbourne’s major cultural, destination event in winter.
Interstate and intrastate visitation grew,
while families,
international students and tourists joined tens-of-thousands oflocals to participate in the festival.
The festival marketing campaign ran over five months acrosssocial media, digital publishers, radio, video on demand, out ofhome, street and print. Our media partners Broadsheet, Triple Rand Smooth FM extended our reach and engagement.
In a Melbourne first, RISING’S 9-metre-long RISING sign beamed
above the clocks at Flinders Street Station. It was a crucial
awareness tool for the festival’s second full year that attracted
prolific media coverage and user-generated content.

“ M ELBOUR NE’S WINT E R A R T S F E S T I V A L R IS I N G H A SA T TRACTE DBIGGER
VISITORNUMBERSTHANTHE
2 0 22 AFL GRAND FI N A L A N D T H E 2 0 2 3 A U S T R A L I A N
G R AND PR IX COMBINE D . ” — Nui Te Koha, Herald Sun

3.76m

44.3m+44.3m+WE B S I T E V I E W S
30 0 % I N C R E A S E

IMPRESSIONSDIGITAL ADVERTISING

IMPRESSIONSOUTDOOR ADVERTISING

21.3m

I M P R E S S I O NSO R G A N I C S O C I A L MEDIA560
RADIO SPOTS

Top Google-searched event of its type in Melbourne
23.1m

73,330+2.4%77,698+18%

55,200
6,283
+30%

920
+90%

7,776
NEW

SOCIAL
IMPRESSIONS

8.45k2.29m

VIDEO VIEWSACROSS META, TIKTOK AND YOUTUBE

97.1%

AUDIENCE WERE SATISFIEDOR VERY SATISFIEDSTORYMENTIONS

12.5%

INCREASE ACROSS ALL
SOCIAL PLATFORMS

30%

INCREASE IN
SUBSCRIBERS

63%

AVERAGEOPEN RATECOMPARED TO INDUSTRYSTANDARD OF 33%

61,875eNEWS
SUBSCRIBERSSPARK by Daan Roosegaarde
PHOT O Ash Caygill

PUBLICITYMedia reception and audience sentiment for the second iterationof RISING in 2023 was largely positive, with enthusiastic coverageof the festival prevalent across a range of media outlets, bothmainstream and niche, from launch through to post-season
coverage.
Journalists spoke of how cohesive the festival felt. They talked
about being particularly impressed with its reduced, easily
walkable festival footprint, and the strong free and ticketed
program offerings.

3.15 billion$20,091,326

CUMULATIVE MEDIA REACH

ADVERTISING VALUE EQUIVALENT

782

857

RADIOTV

2,898

123

1,217

TOTAL MEDIA MENTIONSPRINTONLINE

Coverage highlights of the campaign included:•	Two front page news features in The Age in the opening weekof the festival•	108 pieces online and in print across Nine/Fairfax mastheads•	200 separate interviews with RISING artists or spokespeople•	International coverage: Reaching the UK, USA, Canada,
New Zealand, Sweden, India, Japan and the PhilippinesSHADOW SPIRIT

Zugubal: The Winds and Tides set the Pace by Brian Robinson. Shadow Spirit

PHOTO Eugene Hyland

At the beating heart of RISING 2023 was Shadow Spirit, a major
exhibition amplifying Australia’s most remarkable First Peoples
artists sharing their stories, cultures and histories throughextraordinary contemporary art.
Curated by Kimberley Moulton, 15 works, including 14 newcommissions, transformed the iconic rooms of Flinders Street
Station into an immersive exhibition. The commissions featured
collaborations with more than 90 creative industries specialists
and 30 First Peoples artists from across Australia.
More than 35,000 audience members immersed themselvesin the largest collection of commissioned First Peoples
contemporary art in Victoria’s history.

90%
AGREED OR STRONGLY AGREED
Shadow Spirit increased their understanding of First Peoples’
knowledge systems and connection to Country“IT IS A GIFT TO NAARM: A PHYSICAL AND
SPIRITUALCENTREFORREFLECTION
AND COMMUNICATION AND GATHERING, A SHOWCASE
OF EXCELLENCE OF OUR FIRST NATIONS ARTISTS
AND A DEMONSTRATION OF ART ITSELF AS A
POLITICAL WITNESS.”
— The Conversation

35,431110,000+

TICKETS SOLD

AUDIO GUIDE PLAYS

8 in 10SESSIONS SOLD OUT

10,000 Kazoos

PHOTO Laura May Grogan

10,000 KAZOOSOver 11,000 frenzied kazoo players descended on Federation
Square for a mass participation event that smashed world
records and captivated the playful spirit of Victorians. The world
premiere of 10,000 Kazoos at RISING 2023 made its mark on thecultural landscape of Australia, redefining what mass participation
looks like for arts festivals globally.
Connecting Victorian artists with communities from across thestate underpins RISING’s vision to become an industry leader inaccessible mass-participation events and we’re so proud to havesupported lead artist Ciaran Frame and his collaborators todeliver 10,000 Kazoos at this year’s festival.
In collaboration with RISING’s expert team of curators, producers
and audience and participation specialists, Ciaran developed thework as an inclusive, accessible, mass-participation event thattapped into the hearts, minds and lungs of people from all walksof life. 22 workshops with schools, aged care residents and local
community groups took place across Melbourne and regional
Victoria, inviting people with no prior musical skill to make noiseand have fun through engaging practice-based activities
accessible to all.

11,000+221,700+

AUDIENCEW ORKSHOPS ACROSS
VICTORIA

WORKSHOP
PAR T I C I P A N T S

300+

846

C O M M UNITY ORGANISATIO NSENGAGEDMEDIA MENTIONS ACROSS TV,RADIO, PRINT AND ONLINE“THIS WAS THE DUMBEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE
AND YET I DON’T KNOW IF I’D EVER FELT SO
JOYFUL OR FREE.”
— Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, The Guardian

EUPHORIA

Euphoria by Julian Rosefeldt
PHOTO Eugene Hyland

Euphoria showcased RISING’s commitment to commissioning
bold new works that amplify the urgent stories of our time.
Transforming Melbourne Town Hall into an arena swallowed byscreens, Julian Rosefeldt’s epic film-installation Euphoria invited
more than 21,000 audience members to consider capitalism’s
inescapable mantra of endless, euphoric consumption.
Designed as an immersive, surround sound spectacularof cinematic delight, Euphoria was unlike any film-based
experience Melbourne has seen before.
RISING delivered a suite of accessible ticketing initiatives toensure the event remained accessible to all. ‘Free Fridays’,‘Pay as you wish’ pricing, and ‘Free for students’ tickets wereavailable through RISING’s network education partners anddelivered in tandem with our Audience and Participation team’s
program of ancillary events.
A free talk series with filmmaker Julian Rosefeldt, educationpacks for secondary school students and artist-educatorfacilitated reading room sessions catapulted the impact ofEuphoria beyond the walls of Melbourne Town Hall, bringing
new perspectives from underrepresented voices to the fore.

“EUPHORIA IS, UNDENIABLY, A MOREISH FEAST
FOR THE SENSES, A CONTEMPLATION OF FAIRNESSAND EQUITY.”
— J-Wire

181

4

INTERNAT I O N A L
PERFOR M E R S

INTERNATIONAL COMMISSIONING
PARTNERS

21,106

4,810

326

ATTENDEES

FREE TICKETS DISTRIBUTEDMEDIA MENTIONSNIGHT TRADENIght Trade presented by UpPHOT O Damien Raggatt

Presented by Up

A free, fluid space of curated chaos at St Paul’s Cathedral,
Night Trade presented by Up, was a space for audiences andartists to gather, get fed and be immersed in spontaneous art
and performance late into the night. Of the 80,000 people whocame through the space, over 3,000 boarded a surrealist
puppet bus – the cornerstone car park attraction, created byPuerto Rican twin artists Poncili Creación. Among massive public
art installations, the festival hub had food stalls from Hoy Pinoy,
Free to Feed and Pearl Diver, as well as a giant Archie Rose negroni
tank and Up Bar, stocking Bodriggy beers, Glou sustainablewines and more.
A pop-up stage at the centre of Night Trade enabled audiences
to experience free, live music and performance and engage withthe festival. Music highlights included Esa’s Afrosynth Band,
Debby Friday, and Desire Marea, and for performance, Izzi Selfe,
The Mind Searcher and Poncili Creación. In between, DJs curated
by Wax’o Paradiso helmed the decks to keep the party vibe
flowing late into the night.

80,000

3,200

9,300

20

ATTENDEES

BOARDED PONCILI CREACION’SREALITY-BREAKI NG PUPPET BUS

PIES SOLDTOTAL FREEPERFORMANCESACCESS AND INCLUSIONThe Rink

PHOTO Shannyn Higgins

RISING is committed to creating a festival where everyone has
the opportunity to participate. By centring the lived experienceof our staff, artists and audiences, RISING’s curated program
ensures access and inclusion are built into every element of thefestival experience — from self-determined First Peoples
programming to free and low-cost events, RISING is determined
to make everyone feel welcomed and valued.
We continue to collaborate with organisations such as Deaf
Aboriginal Services Victoria and Arts Access Victoria to deliver
access services across our free and ticketed program and build
reciprocal relationships with the communities who use theseservices. This year, new partnerships with community-ledorganisations enabled the festival to reach diverse audiences
across the state. Audio described performances, tactile tours,
Auslan interpreted events, and sensory sensitive sessions
developed in consultation with access specialists were just someof the access services we committed to delivering at this year’sfestival.
“AWON DERFUL,WONDERFULEVENT!
RISING’SO F FERING SAREOUTOFTHEO R D I N AR Y ,BUT
E X TREMEL YACCES S I B L EFORALLPEOPLER E GARDLE SS
OFWHETHER
THEY
WOULD
C O NSIDER
THEMSEL V E SARTSYORNOT.
I’VE
A T TENDED
SEVERAL
RISINGEVENTSOV E RTHEY E AR,AND
HAVEBEEN
REALLYP L E A SE DWITHTHEQUALITY,
DIVERSITYAND
A C C ES S I B I L I T Y
O F PROGR AMMING EVE R Y T I M E ! ” — 2023 Audience Member

The scale and breadth of RISING 2023 anchored on our free andlow-cost events. Creating inclusive, barrier-free experiences for
new audiences is at the core RISING’s brand-building strategy,boosting awareness and consolidating recognition as abroad‑based cultural event.

14%

600,000+$38

3,000+OF EVENTS LED BY
FIRST NATIONS ARTISTSPEOPLE AT
25 FREE EVENTSAVERAGETICKET PRICE

TICKETS FORSCHOOL GROUPSOURSUPPORTERS
RISING thanks our supporters, whose generosity makes everything you see in our festival possible.

TR US T S A N D F O U NDATIONSDANCING ARCHITECTS

COM M I S S I O N I N G C I R C L E

Andrew and Geraldine Buxton Foundation

Ann Lau and Anna Fairbank

Anna Foley and Dashiell Gantner

Bardas Foundation

Bird de la Coeur Architects

Rupert Myer AO and Annabel Myer

Besen Family Foundation

BKK Architects

Vallejo Gantner

Bowness Family Foundation

Carr

Canny Quine Foundation
The Dara Foundation
John Truscott Foundation
Playking Foundation
The Robert Salzer Foundation

Eli Giannini and Chris Jones
Ian and Gill McDougall
Jackson Clements Burrows Architects
LAB Architecture StudioRoger WoodRISINGCONSTELLATIONSHY DR A : $ 1 0 , 0 0 0 +CETUS: $5,000+

PEGASUS: $2,500+

CEN T A U R U S : $ 1 , 0 0 0 +AURIGA: $500+

ORION: $250+

Dennis Orton Foundation

Christine Clough

Craig Semple

Andrea Hull AO

Alana Kushnir(11)

The Myer Foundation

Elizabeth Proust AO

Craig Tiley

Bridget Noonan

Christopher Reed

The Vine Foundation

Ruth Wilson

Jennifer Darbyshire andDavid Walker

Fiona Sweet and Paul Newcombe

Diana Goldenfein and Julius Rath

Jeremy Blackshaw

Gael Wilson

Ian Watts OAM

Gideon Obarzanek

Marie-Line Lussiana

Jane Evans

Tim and Rachel Cecil

John So AO JP

Anonymous (1)Anonymous (1)Leonard Vary and Matt Collins AM QC
Marc Besen AC
Ricci Swart AM
Richard Leonard andGerlinde Scholz
Rob McGauran andAlessandra Giannini
Sally and Rob Bruce
Sophie Gannon and Frazer East
Anonymous (1)Kevin and Liz Walsh
Lawrence McDonald &Christian Klettner
Lynne Burgess
Lilian Hou JP
Maria and Martin Ryan
Min Li Chong
Pinky Watson
Rohitha Rupesinghe and Mi Fon Lew
Rosemary Forbes and Ian Hocking
Rosemary Walls
Sally Browne Fund, a sub-fund of theAustralian Communities Foundation
The Gill Family Foundation
Vic Zbar and Pamela Macklin
Yvonne and Sandy Constantine
Anonymous (3)OUR PARTNERS
PRINCIPAL
PUBLIC PARTNERPUBLIC
PARTNERSMAJORPARTNERSOFFICIAL
PARTNERS

PUBLICSUPPORTERSSUPPORTING
PARTNERS

SUPPLIER
PARTNERMEDIAPARTNERSVENUEPARTNERS

Waripa presented by Kutcha Edwards
PHOTO Ian Laidlaw

THANKYOURISING

PO BOX 10
FLINDERS LANE VIC 8009