Footscray Community Arts is building a huge new outdoor music venue set to open this summer.
Construction is almost complete on the long-awaited outdoor performance space at Footscray Community Arts, transforming the historic riverside site into Melbourne’s west’s newest music and performance destination. The new community-led venue will host free and low-cost live music, creative performances, markets and cultural ceremonies, when it opens.
But there is a catch, Footscray Community Arts needs to raise $70,000 by 15 October to complete the final phase of construction. Before becoming an arts hub in 1974, the site served as an industrial and livestock centre. This year, during initial groundworks, builders discovered materials from the site’s industrial past buried beneath the riverside lawn and amphitheatre, creating unexpected costs and delays.
Footscray Community Arts
- What: Final phase fundraising for new outdoor music venue
- Target: $70,000 by 15 October 2025
- Opening: Summer 2025
- Location: Footscray Community Arts, 45 Moreland Street, Footscray
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The fundraising push aims to add the crucial finishing touches that honour Country, including accessible pathways throughout the riverside lawns, native plantings for re-Indigenisation of the green space, and a ceremonial fire bowl for First Nations community use.
Built with investment from the Victorian government and Maribyrnong City Council, the venue celebrates 50 years of Footscray Community Arts while creating a state-of-the-art outdoor space for Melbourne’s west. MGS Architects designed the stage following extensive consultation with the organisation’s Indigenous Advisory Group and local communities, ensuring accessibility and cultural connection are embedded throughout.
Yorta Yorta, Wurundjeri and Wiradjuri artist Moorina Bonini is integrating her artwork into the landscape and architectural design, while Simone Bliss Landscape Architects handles the broader landscaping vision. The result will be a community-controlled space supporting high-quality artistic outcomes and amplifying cultural exchange.
With just weeks left to secure funding, Footscray’s music scene stands on the brink of one of its biggest upgrade in decades.
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