“Following the huge success of Street Serenades last year, the Palaszczuk Government is providing an additional $350,000 to support Street Serenades: At Our Place, which will once again bring live performances and art workshops to Brisbane neighbourhoods.
“Street Serenades: At Our Place is a brand-new initiative that will partner with neighbourhood and community centres to deliver a series of 64 creative arts workshops across the city.
“The program will engage more than 4,000 community members through workshops and performances and employ hundreds of artists who will use their expertise to connect communities and individuals through the joy of music and movement.”
“The Palaszczuk Government is a major supporter of Brisbane Festival as part of our commitment to support arts and culture, provide employment for Queensland artists and arts workers and drive important economic, social and health outcomes,” she said.
“The arts are key to delivering our plan for economic recovery, each year contributing$8.5 billion to the state’s economy and supporting more than 92,000 jobs for Queenslanders.
“The arts and culture sector has felt the impacts of the pandemic, and that is why events such as Street Serenades and Brisbane Festival are so important for the industry, and for Queensland.”
After debuting in 2020 and delighting residents across the city, Street Serenades returns to the suburbs with a truly unique live music program.
This year, Street Serenades will turn up the volume with bigger performances and more Boldly Brisbane artists as it takes the show on the road again, performing across all 190 Brisbane suburbs throughout September.
Residents again have the chance to host a concert in their suburb by nominating to be part of the Street Serenades performance program.
Applications open today for the suburban hosts, Wednesday 14 April 2021 and close Friday 30 April 2021 via brisbanefestival.com.au and are open to individuals and community groups who reside in one of the 190 Brisbane City Council suburbs.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said Brisbane Festival’s Street Serenades would bring music and festivities to suburbs across Brisbane, reigniting community spirit following tough COVID-19 lockdowns.
“Live music was one of the many experiences that was sorely missed when the pandemic was at its height and Street Serenades was one of the earliest ways we were able to bring the magic of music back to the community,” he said.
“I know residents will be thrilled to throw their support behind our city’s best homegrown talent after a tough year for the music industry and I encourage everyone wanting to see Street Serenades come to their neighbourhood this September to get in quick and nominate now.”
Brisbane Festival Artistic Director Louise Bezzina said this year’s Street Serenades program would include a mix of cul-de-sac concerts, street parties, park performances, and entertainment in community spaces such as open-air car parks, sporting fields and public piazzas.
“Street Serenades brings its distinctive travelling stages and pop-up performance venues to fill Brisbane suburbs with music, joy and – at long last – dancing in the streets,” Ms Bezzina said.
“Brisbane fell in love with Street Serenades as a highlight of the Festival in 2020 and I am thrilled to announce it will return in 2021, becoming an iconic part of the Brisbane Festival program.
“I would love to personally invite Brisbane to get out and explore this city, to be delighted by its wealth of homegrown talent and surprised by the hidden geographical gems in the largest city council in Australia,” she said.
Street Serenades performances are free, run for 30 minutes and cover a variety of styles and genres including classical and contemporary music, cabaret and dance. Brisbane Festival will organise all aspects of each performance with selected suburban hosts encouraged to promote and champion the event within their suburb.
“At its roots, Street Serenades is all about bringing people together, building positive community connections, and increasing our interactions with people in our neighbourhood and across the city,” said Ms Bezzina.
“We hope Street Serenades: At Our Place will encourage audience members to connect with the broader community, feel at home, develop and enhance news skills, and create some serious local pride!”
The community and neighbourhood centres selected as part of Street Serenades: At our Place will be announced as part of Brisbane Festival’s program launch in July 2021.
Brisbane Festival returns from 3 – 25 September 2021.
Brisbane Festival is an initiative of the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council.
