Melbourne is home to a plethora of music and arts initiatives, but none more exciting and subversive than RISING. The pandemic-born festival is the definition of a slow burn, having manoeuvred through lockdowns and postponements for the first three years of their programming, but now – off the back of a very successful festival last year – they are ready to dive head-first into their 2024 music and arts program.
Comprising more than 105 events, 480 artists, 23 new commissions, six world premieres, and eight Australian premieres, RISING 2024 is back to take over the city of Naarm's historic arcades, back alleys, micro bars and music venues for the month of June.
Having just dropped their full 2024 program as of this morning, so we're giving you everything you need to know about when and where it's happening, how to buy tickets, and the events we think you'd be a fool to miss.
When is RISING 2024?
RISING 2024 is happening from 1-16 of June, 2024.
Where is RISING 2024?
RISING will take place at a multitude of venues across Melbourne, including Melbourne Town Hall, St. Paul's Cathedral, Hamer Hall, Festival Hall, The Forum, the Capitol and Substation (among others).
When and where can I buy tickets?
You can buy tickets from 12pm today on RISING's website. You'll have a 20-minute cart limit once you enter the site.
Event highlights we think you should really get tickets for
When: Monday 10 June and Sunday 16 June
Where: Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne
Marking their first show in Australia in 15 years, Swedish synth-pop enigma Fever Ray (aka Karin Dreijer) will be gracing the stage of Hamer Hall with their hypnotic vocals. Making up one half of electronic duo The Knife, the show is described as "gender-queer world-building fed through a singular, gothic vision". We're in.
Where: Festival Hall
Caught on the coat-tails of controversy and police targeting (immortalised through a hit Netflix documentary), this breakthrough music group comprising four Samoan-Australians drill rappers have fast become one of Australia’s most successful hip-hop act. Bringing their show to Melbourne for the first time, the group are a mouthpiece for honest outer-Sydney voices, and for stories of crime, poverty and social dislocation.
Where: Forum Melbourne
It's been more than a decade since Ferreira's last time performing in Australia, and now she'll be heading down under for both RISING and Vivid Sydney in 2024. The model-and-actor-come-musician is known in equal parts for her gothic mystique, and of course for her synth-pop anthems.
Saturday 8 June
Where: Melbourne Town Hall
Egyptian-Australian DJ Moktar has been making waves in his hometown of Melbourne for a while, and it feels like he's now on the precipice of an even bigger breakthrough. His sets are akin to a sonic journey through Arabic instrumentation, Ugandan rap, Takht, techno, folktronica and more.
