October 10, 2022
Celebrate and discover the western suburbs: Your guide to Neighbourhood
Your guide to Neighbourhood
Welcome to the Neighbourhood!
Neighbourhood is a contemporary art festival taking place across Melbourne’s western suburbs, running Friday 11 – Sunday 27 November and co-presented by Footscray Community Arts and The Substation. Seeking to bring a fresh perspective on the districts we call home, the festival will celebrate place and community, and reveal the beauty of our common humanity through performances, exhibitions and other arts events.
A festival that champions contemporary Australian identity
At Footscray Community Arts, we have been sharing stories for over 50 years, grounded in the belief that all communities should be valued as makers of culture.
Our friends at The Substation are champions of contemporary and experimental arts, proudly supporting the development of ambitious and inclusive works that defy easy categorisation.
The collective vision for Neighbourhood is to provide a safe and accessible place for conversation, celebration and discovery. As such, we have curated a festival program that reflects the heart and soul of the Western suburbs.
Featured artists represent First Nations, migrant and refugee, people with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ communities, who have been historically marginalised by mainstream art and culture.
Neighbourhood seeks to uplift their voices to affect social change and champion their roles in contemporary Australian identity.
To support the needs of our community, various access and assistive services will be available during the festival, including relaxed performances, video captioning, Auslan interpreters, wheelchair access and audio description.
Some events will feature a range of accessibility arrangements during their run, including:
- Street Party: all speeches at this event on Friday 11 November will be Auslan interpreted. This event is wheelchair accessible
- Between Us: these livestream events on Saturday 12 and Saturday 26 November will feature Closed Captions on the live feed. These events are wheelchair accessible
- Sub~Lingual: this event will be audio described during each session, and Auslan interpreters are available upon request. Relaxed sessions will take place on Wednesday 16 and Sunday 20 November. These events are wheelchair accessible
- Electric Man/House of Mother Tongue, House of Other Tongue: all speeches at this combined launch event on Saturday 19 November will be Auslan interpreted. All events associated with House of Mother Tongue, House of Other Tongue will be translated into Vietnamese. These events are wheelchair accessible
- Lele: each performance will be Auslan interpreted and will run from Thursday 24 to Saturday 26 November. These events are wheelchair accessible
- I Am Carisma: relaxed performance for families Saturday 26 November 3pm. These events are wheelchair accessible
Pre-show notes and programs will also be provided to help festival goers prepare for each event.
Please note that each Neighbourhood event will have specific services available. We recommend browsing the program to discover more.
Plan your visit to the neighbourhood
Neighbourhood will be hosted on the unceded sovereign lands of the Boon Wurrung and Woi Wurrung Peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation, across several venues and public spaces.
Each of our venue partners have provided detailed resources on wheelchair pathways, audio assistance, locations of accessible toilets, ways to commute to the venue, and more. Click on each venue below to plan your visit:
Neighbourhood is created by the community, for the community.
Get your tickets now, and discover the stories behind your neighbourhood this November.