Melbourne Fringe is doubling down on venue offerings with not one but two Fringe Programmed Venues for its 2025 festival.
In an exciting development for Melbourne’s indie arts scene, the beloved Festival Hub at Trades Hall will be joined by a second programmed venue at North Melbourne’s iconic Meat Market.
For the uninitiated, Fringe Programmed Venues are managed by the Fringe in-house team, offering artists professional spaces with front-of-house staff, technical production support, equipment and all necessary bits to help shows dazzle audiences.
Melbourne Fringe Programmed Venues
- Festival Hub: Trades Hall – Located at Cnr Lygon & Victoria St, Carlton
- Meat Market – Located in North Melbourne
- Applications close 11:59pm Thursday 10 April 2025
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The Festival Hub at Trades Hall continues its crucial role as the festival’s beating heart, hosting around 40 events each night across the building. It offers audiences a sample plate of the breadth and creative energy of the full festival program, with a range of venues, pop-up performance spaces and the social vibes the Fringe community has come to expect.
Meanwhile, the Meat Market expansion brings several large capacity, high production value spaces united by a central garden bar. These venues feature longer turnarounds and larger back of house facilities than Trades Hall, making them ideal for ensemble and high-spectacle works. The Cobblestone Pavilion even includes circus rigging, while the iconic Stables spaces and Craft Room are being transformed into black box theatres perfect for ambitious productions.
Artists interested in presenting at either venue are encouraged to submit applications before the April deadline. Each night during the festival, the venues will showcase the incredible diversity of Melbourne’s independent arts scene, from intimate performances to spectacular productions.
For artists, these venues represent a golden opportunity to present work in professionally managed spaces with technical and front-of-house support provided — removing many of the logistical challenges of festival shows.
For full information and to apply for either venue, head here.
