The Waterfront Festival has locked in major headliners You Am I, The Casanovas and Melbourne Ska Orchestra for their 2023 program, set to ignite Frankston from February 18-19.
Some festivals just have it all, don’t they? Frankston City Council put on the peninsula’s biggest bash of the year in February with The Waterfront Festival, featuring a fantastic variety of experienced Australian performers.
Variety is the key word here – Waterfront Fest boasts major live music headliners, water sports, beach activities, local brewers, food trucks, carnival rides, market stalls, amusements galore, some really visually striking roving performers and artists throughout the festival grounds, tons of free activities and lots of family-friendly entertainment. Oh, and fireworks over the ocean.
The Waterfront Festival 2023
- Saturday 18 12-10pm and Sunday 19 12-8pm February 2023
- Frankston Waterfront
- You Am I, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, The Casanovas, Kylie Auldist, Thndo, The Merindas and many more
- It’s free to attend – find out more info here
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
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As it’s in Frankston, the festival site overlooks the gorgeous waterfront with stand up paddle boarding and the sky flyer making the most of the picturesque scenery on offer. You can enjoy a cocktail or two in the Garden Bar, catch some of Australia’s biggest acts on the Waterfront Stage (line up now announced), peruse the Waterfront Market, which celebrate art, craft, design and culture, inviting you to connect with Melbourne’s best makers and creators, or escape it all to a world full of discovery and curiosity at the festival’s Dreaming Space.
Ventana is the festival’s vibrant celebration of culture where you can experience Mexican wrestling, LuchaLibre, colourful masks and high-flying manoeuvres. There’ll be performances of music and dance, Mariachis, unique stalls and delicious cuisine. When you have Mexican wrestling at your festival, you know you’re really kicking goals.
It doesn’t stop on February 19 either – many of those exhibitions, artists’ talks, workshops and demonstrations will continue all the way through to the end of April at Frankston Arts Centre.
One of the biggest drawcards though is the quality of the live music, with an expansive program that will feature over 50 live performances from established and emerging artists.
You Am I need no introduction as one of the most critically-acclaimed Australian rock bands of all time. The Casanovas have been steadfast Aussie rock favourites for the past two decades, and are just returning home after a major European tour.
Melbourne Ska Orchestra are one of the most exciting live performances you can catch in Victoria, becoming one of the city’s most-viewed acts on YouTube with over 15 million views. Kylie Auldist is Melbourne’s queen of soul, widely known for her work with The Bamboos and Cookin’ On 3 Burners, where she was responsible for one of the biggest Australian hits of the previous decade, This Girl, while Thndo and The Merindas are both highly-acclaimed Australian pop acts, just to highlight a few.
Waterfront Stage: Saturday 18 February lineup and set times
12.05pm: Joshua Batton
1.05pm: Mathilde Anne
1.55pm: Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre (PARC)
2.10pm: Emily Barker
3pm: Welcome to Country including Smoking Ceremony, Mayor’s Welcome
3.20pm: Melbourne Ska Orchestra
4.40pm: Phil Para Band
5.40pm: Fulton Street
6.40pm: The Merindas
7.40pm: The Casanovas
8.45pm: You Am I
Waterfront Stage: Sunday 19 February lineup and set times
12.05pm: Troy Wilson And Aaron Gillett
1pm: Riley Catherall
1.40pm: Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre (PARC)
1.55pm: What We Become
2.50pm: Grey Horizon
3.45pm: Tillerman Pete
4.45pm: Tanya George
5.45pm: Kylie Auldist
6.45pm: Thndo
If for no other reason though, head down for the food, featuring over 30 food trucks and the festival’s epic fireworks display on the Saturday night, taking off from the Frankston pier. For more info, head to The Waterfront Festival 2023 (discoverfrankston.com.au) or follow along for live updates on Facebook and Instagram.
This article was made in partnership with Frankston City Council.
