Revitalising a Cultural Icon
Driven by our vision to create a more accessible, vibrant and welcoming space for arts and culture in Melbourne’s west, Lango is the culmination of years of planning, collaboration and community engagement.
Lango is just one chapter in our broader vision for the precinct. We’re continuing to build on this momentum as we seek investment to redevelop our Warehouse Building into a landmark gallery for Melbourne’s western suburbs, bringing us one step closer to realising our community’s vision for the future of the west.
Introducing Lango,
Footscray Community Arts’ new architecturally designed outdoor performance venue surrounded by re-Indigenised green space.
Lango is the result of years of planning, collaboration and community engagement, driven by our mission to create a more accessible, vibrant and welcoming space for arts and culture in Melbourne’s west.
Led by Footscray Community Arts and made possible through a vital $8.7 million investment from the Victorian Government, the redevelopment has transformed our beloved but ageing and inaccessible amphitheatre and riverside lawns into a brand-new outdoor performance stage and re-Indigenised green space.
Designed with our community, for community, Lango marks an exciting new chapter for Footscray Community Arts, creating more opportunities for high quality artistic expression, cultural connection and shared experiences.
Our vision for the precinct and its legacy doesn’t stop here though:
The next stage of our Precinct Revitalisation Project will focus on transforming our Warehouse Building into a landmark gallery for Melbourne’s western suburbs. We’re seeking further investment to bring this next chapter to life, creating more opportunities for artists and communities to connect, create and experience art.
Interested in helping shape the future of Footscray Community Arts?
Get in touch to explore how you can support this vision by emailing reception@footscrayarts.com.
Lango News & Updates
October, 2026:
Lango Is Here
Following the completion of construction and final works, Lango is ready to open to the public! Footscray Community Arts’ new architecturally designed outdoor performance stage and re-Indigenised green space will officially launch on 30–31 October with Lango Live, a free two-day music celebration.
Following the launch, Lango will be open to the public as a new space for community gatherings, arts and cultural experiences, and outdoor performances.
Interested in bringing your next event or gathering to Lango? You can enquire about using the space via our venue hire page.
May, 2026:
Construction Timeline Updated
As construction progressed, the innovative, first-of-its-kind fabric used in Lango’s architectural canopy presented unique construction challenges, requiring additional time to bring the design to life. These complexities extended the project timeline beyond the anticipated July–August opening.
In May we announced that Lango’s opening would move to spring, allowing the additional time needed to deliver this ambitious new outdoor performance space and revitalised green space.
September, 2025:
Construction Delays & Fundraising Campaign ‘Together for Tomorrow’
Before Footscray Community Arts was established in 1974, our precinct’s site was an industrial and livestock hub. As construction began on Lango, groundworks uncovered materials from this former life beneath the riverside lawn and amphitheatre, bringing significant unexpected costs and delays that pushed back Lango’s anticipated November 2025 opening.
To help realise the full vision for Lango’s re-Indigenised green space, we launched a fundraising campaign, raising $39,500 through generous community support.
To everyone who contributed, your generosity helped bring Lango one step closer to becoming the welcoming, vibrant space we envisioned together. This milestone belongs to you too.
October, 2024
Breaking ground Ceremony
We marked a significant milestone in Footscray Community Arts’ 50-year history as we officially broke ground on the construction of the Precinct Revitalisation Project.
This moment marked the beginning of the beloved (but inaccessible) amphitheatre’s transformation into a new architecturally designed outdoor performance venue and revitalised green space, bringing years of planning, community consultation and collaboration to life.
Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate this milestone and share in the excitement of what was to come.
Photography by Thuy Vy at Breaking Ground Ceremony, 2024.
Construction Period Information & Initial Site Plans
Construction Update: November, 2025
The riverside lawns at Footscray Community Arts are closed to the general public from Jan 2025 to October 2026.
During construction, access to between Moreland St and the wharf is accessible via Bunbury St.
Hours of Work:
Weekdays: 7 AM – 6 PM
Saturdays: 7 AM – 1 PM
Sundays and Public Holidays: Limited work hours
Construction of the new Lango outdoor performance space is now around 95% complete. Major elements are finished, including the landscaped gardens, back-of-house building, and new accessible pathway. We are currently awaiting delivery of an essential stage component, which has caused a delay to the final completion date.
Precinct Revitalisation: The Project Vision
Stage 1:
The Outdoor Performance Space
The Victorian State Government has provided funding to enable the conversion of Footscray Community Arts’ much-loved amphitheatre into an architecturally designed multi-use performance space. The redevelopment will allow for year-round weather protection, reduced noise for residential neighbours, and improved disability and mobility access.
There will be more greenspace for community to use every day, complemented by an enhanced landscape that cares for Country.
To achieve this vision we’re working with the best: Design led by MGS Architects and Simone Bliss Landscape Architects together with project directors RP Infrastructure.
Working alongside the architects is Yorta Yorta, Wurundjeri and Wiradjuri artist, Moorina Bonini, who is integrating her artwork into the landscape and architectural design.
Additional investment from the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation Foote Trust has enabled leadership opportunities throughout this stage of the project for the communities we prioritise and centre.
Stage 2:
Warehouse Transformation
(Currently Seeking Investment)
The redevelopment of 47 Moreland Street will deliver a multi-tenanted creative arts precinct housed across the Warehouse footprint and Henderson House. With Footscray Community Arts as the existing lead tenant, the precinct will respond to unmet demand for creative spaces in Melbourne’s West.
Expansion of Footscray Community Arts’ gallery footprint will provide space for creatively ambitious and large-scale exhibitions providing a landmark gallery for Melbourne’s western suburbs.
This future vision for Footscray Community Arts was endorsed by Maribyrnong City Council in 2023 in a co-authored Master Plan. And we are currently seeking investment for Stage 2 works.
The Need
We know that Footscray’s population will grow by 179% and Maribyrnong’s by 101% in the next 25 years. We are already experiencing record demand for our precinct and services, and are dedicated to ensuring our communities have access to high-quality, vibrant and culturally safe community spaces.
Infrastructure redevelopment addresses key strains on the precinct:
- Poor disability access and limited connectivity across the site limit our ability to deliver inclusive, high-quality outcomes.
- Year-round activation on the site is not possible. There are no covered spaces large enough to accommodate medium-large events, and no consideration of sound treatment to consider the impact of events on neighbours.
- Prohibitive costs and operational inefficiencies are barriers to activation for Footscray Community Arts, local community groups and commercial operators.
- Our existing venues are at capacity, limiting programming, community and commercial opportunities. The strain on the precinct is compounded by a lack of other creative space in the West.
Let’s Talk
Please contact reception@footscrayarts.com for any enquiries.
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