www.melbourne2006.com.au Festival Melbourne2006, the cultural festival of the 2006 Commonwealth Games has been formally opened, and the streets of Melbourne and regional Victoria will soon play host to thousands of tourists and locals for Australia’s biggest ever festival of arts and culture.
The Ă‚ÂŁ5 million Australian and Victorian government-funded festival brings together artists and performers from across Australia and the Commonwealth for a celebration of contemporary music, dance, exhibitions, circus, street theatre and a youth program.
Minister for the Commonwealth Games, Justin Madden said, “Festival Melbourne2006 will be fresh, exciting and contemporary, putting the world’s best performers and artists alongside the world’s best athletes”.
“The vibrancy and diversity of the festival will highlight Melbourne as one of the world’s truly cosmopolitan cities, strengthening Victoria’s reputation as both an arts and sporting capital. Events will be free during Games time and open to all members of the public.”
“Festival Melbourne2006 encompasses three artistic programs: performing arts, exhibitions and a spectacular youth program,” the Minister added. “The performing arts program will offer an exciting range of acts including circus, street performance, dance, music and acrobatics, featuring 2,000 artists from 120 performing companies providing more than 500 performances.
“The exhibitions program will include photography, installations, indigenous carving, textiles and moving image. The youth program, delivered by Next Wave, will offer a colourful program of dance, music, community art projects, street theatre and visual arts made for, by and with young people,” commented the Minister. Festival Melbourne2006 has now started in the lead up to the Games with the exhibition program opening in venues across Melbourne. The performance and youth programs of the Festival will open at the commencement of the Games on 15th March.
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