Sugar Mountain takes over the Arts Precinct!

Southbank’s very own music and arts festival Sugar Mountain will move into the Arts Precinct when it returns to the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) on January 20.

Sugar Mountain 2018 will see a new festival layout to previous years due to the construction of the new Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (MCM) building on Sturt St.

For the first time, Sugar Mountain will expand out from its usual stage layouts within VCA to Grant St, Australian Centre for Contemporary Arts (ACCA) and the Malthouse Theatre as it takes to heart of Southbank’s Arts Precinct.

Normally setup on the future site of MCM, the festival’s renowned Boiler Room setting will be held in the forecourt between ACCA, Chunky Move and the Malthouse.

Renowned for its visual arts emphasis, the festival will also take over ACCA and the Malthouse’s renowned Merlyn Theatre, while VCA’s Margaret Lawrence Gallery will house the Sensory Café.

Festivalgoers will now enter the event via Sturt St, while the main stage will now face south along Dodds St backing onto Southbank Boulevard.

“Melbourne’s Arts Precinct needs to be showcased and we’re really excited about the change,” Sugar Mountain co-director Brett Louis said. “To change the footprint is huge for us.”

“To have the Merlyn Theatre and ACCA, which is architecturally so profound, is so exciting and we hope that the spread across Grant St and a few other pops up will help make it a really communal space.”

And while the changing layout comes as exciting news to festival faithfuls, let’s not forget the amazing line-up of music and art that was also announced last month!

The festival will once again provide a unique and diverse offering, presenting Australian musicians such as Cut Copy, Beaches and Love Deluxe alongside international artists such as Joey Bada$$ and Honey Dijon (USA) and German DJ Gerd Janson.

There will also be a multitude of artists and mediums, featuring a selection of unique collaborative projects and performances such as an audio-dance performance by American artist Khalif Diouf and Bangarra Dance Theater’s Waangenga Blanco

Brett Louis said the line-up had been carefully curated to fit in with the festival’s new “block party” style layout.

“From where we started to what we’ve become, we’re still also keen to provide a level of discovery,” he said.

“We wanted to strike the right curatorial mix and create a bit more a block party vibe. All the artists have been chosen to mix in with the surrounds so people can dance and have fun or relax and enjoy.”

For tickets and more information visit sugarmountainfestival.com