Dumping five tonnes of sand into a Melbourne laneway for a miniature seaside festival in the heart of the CBD, Section 8 is once again bringing its famed Beach Party to music lovers this summer.
The mission statement of Section 8’s annual event, the organisers say, is to “bring an unserious approach to the city in the form of a beach party, because not everyone is able to get to the coast during summer.”
Section 8 is proud of the unique event they have created, as “one of those infamous Melbourne events that even if you haven’t attended, you know exactly what it is when someone brings it up. Who else can say they transformed their small bar into a tropical paradise for a week with sand, live jazz on the beach, and a sandcastle competition?”
Section 8 Beach Party 2025
- Mon 24 Feb – Playaz Club Laneway Basketball: A free basketball shootout with prizes & DJs Walla C, Sista Sara and Verse@ille
- Tues 25 Feb – Condensed Milk with Amin Payne, Taijae and JNETT
- Weds 26 Feb – Live jazz on the beach with the Milk Bar House Band, ENTRO // and Jonquil
- Thurs 27 Feb – With PK, Jazmine Nikitta, Swerv, Louella Deville plus visuals by Kurious Kat
- Fri 28 Feb – With Kurious Kat, 1SA, Mrs Wallace, OLITA, Glow, $UMBHADBITTIE$ plus visuals by Kurious Kat
- Sat 1 Mar – Soul Sessions with DJs, food and free chips for beachgoers plus visuals by Kurious Kat with ATB, Daniel Cuda, EVA, DJ Lady Erica, Trustee, Tiff Cornish, Antones, Joey G, JCDJ
- Sun 2 Mar –Latin American Day party with Isu Taki DJs with Afrodesia, Walla C, Randy Castilla, Mendoza, Cuerpo Negro
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This year’s party will be one to remember, as Section 8 celebrates its 19th birthday at the same time. To bring in the good vibes, the week-long party – running from 24 February to 2 March 2025 – will feature a diverse drinks menu from event partners Skrewball Whiskey, Heaps Normal and Hop Nation.
“There will also be multiple nights of projections from one of our favourite visual storytellers, Kurious Kat. The guys over at Saoko Collective will also be curating the beach-themed decor, so we’re really excited for that! Who knows,” they speculate, “maybe you’ll be lucky enough to see some visuals projected on inflatable sharks.”
The goal of every Beach Party is to help Melbournians forget they live in the concrete jungle and let loose at the height of summer. The up-for-anything mentality of Naarm residents is certainly in tune with the mindset of Section 8 themselves.
“People who live in this city are up for anything,” says the team. “We think our events really stand out, not just because they’re free, but because they’re so community-focused with carefully curated lineups. No two nights are the same here: one night could be a Latin fiesta and the next a beat battle. 2025 will be no exception.”
One of the featured artists at this year’s Beach Party is creative arts and music hub Soul Sessions, originating in the UK and now based in St Kilda. As a streaming platform for up-and-coming artists across multiple genres, at the heart of its operations is a sense of community, hosting DJ sets in a fish and chip shop.
But this novelty location serves an important purpose.
“When we designed the kitchen,” they say, “we made sure the Soul Sessions concept was always part of the bigger picture – our little shop wouldn’t be complete without both! Originally from Manchester, a chippy is a big part of the community. Being on the other side of the world, for us, creating that same sense of connection is even more important, and Soul Sessions lets us do just that.”
Helmed by a group of friends, all with a shared love of making music and bringing people together, the purpose of Soul Sessions is to build a platform for new and emerging artists: “We have the opportunity to meet amazing people doing incredible things. It’s something we all truly enjoy.”
Marking a first-time collaboration with Section 8, it’s no small thing to say that Soul Sessions is beyond buzzing to get involved. “We’re long-time admirers,” the arts hub says, “and have always been fans of Section 8 and everything it stands for.”
The excitement within the Soul Sessions camp to lay down the tunes at Beach Party 2025 is sure to make itself known. One of the sets dropping at this year’s event marks the 100th episode of Soul Sessions, placing this year’s Beach Party as an especially meaningful appearance.
“In true Soul Sessions style,” they add, “we’ll be recording live sets for our YouTube and SoundCloud, sharing the energy with listeners around the world. We’ve brought back some of our favourite artists from last year’s recordings, guaranteed to bring the heat, and we’re also welcoming some incredible new talent we’ve had our eye on for a long time.”
For more information on the Section 8 Beach Party, head here.