In the usually not-so-buzzing outer eastern Melbourne suburb of Scoresby, a grassy and sprawling former market site known for its loud fruit sellers, stalls of rip-off street clothes, and paddle boat rides, has been reborn as one of the best new festival sites in Victoria.
Caribbean Gardens is about to host about 8000 punters across all demographics for the second year of Hello Sunshine Festival after its impressive debut last year. The organisers know the site’s family-friendly history, and one look around it shows this festival has something for everybody aged 5-65.
Want a beer or a $12 vodka can to smash with your mates? There’s bars for that. Hungry? Ample food trucks are around. Got little kids wanting to be entertained? There’s a showbag stand and stacks of carnival rides, even a giant inflatable ramp for a BMX rider demo. Most significantly, there’s oodles of market stalls, a handful even selling the fake sports team clothing and streetwear which Caribbean Gardens became famous for. Talk about honouring your past.
This is all before we get to the music, which again offers something for everyone. The concert area has a mosh pit at the front, VIP viewing with a bar at the side, and an area for families or anyone else to sprawl out with their picnic rugs, foldable chairs, and beach carts of gear at the back.
Emerging Melbourne artists Anya Alchemy, D’Arcy Spiller, and Jay Santilli kick off the action. We then get a sea of kids sitting on their parents’ shoulders as the Wiggles Sound System takes over, with OG Blue Wiggle Anthony Field up front and Dorothy the Dinosaur on the decks. They followed in the footsteps of OG Red Wiggle Murray Cook’s DJ set last year.
Country lovers then get their fix with Brad Cox and his band tearing it up in the early arvo. He’s followed by pop princesses The Veronicas, who preview tracks from their new record amongst their roll call of classics including “Hook Me Up”, “You Ruin Me”, and “In My Blood”. Closer “Untouched” doesn’t get a wall of death like they did from Good Things in 2019 but is arguably the biggest singalong of the day so far.
Pete Murray gives those in their 30s who loved his surfy acoustic stuff in the 2000s plenty of feels with his set, notably striking a chord by dedicating “Better Days” to “anyone who’s been through a hard time and made it through.” He brings The Veronicas back on to help with set closer and breakout hit “So Beautiful” in a fantastic rare collaboration.
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The nostalgia continues as Bliss n Eso bring a surge of energy for the old-school Aussie hip hop fans. They’re so popular that they get a (probably pre-planned) encore with mega hit “Addicted”. And The Temper Trap provide the perfect atmospheric rock soundtrack with the sun going down, as they deliver their hits including “Love Lost” and “Fader” and close with their classic “Sweet Disposition”.
Finally, hard rock lovers and dads whose kids have probably fallen asleep by now get just what the doctor ordered with Grinspoon, who from opener “DCX3” pile out anthem after anthem, many from their records Easy and Lost Detention which they’ve recently been touring.
If any kids were still awake, they got their moment to shine towards the end of the night as frontman Phil Jamieson insists they all get on their parents’ shoulders and bounce along to “Just Ace”. A few songs later, they cop the confetti canons during closer “More Than You Are” followed by a sparkly golden fireworks display.
With the exception of a bit of rough traffic getting in (some ‘Car Park Full’ signage on Scoresby Rd near Rollerama could’ve helped), this was a close-to-flawless day with comfy weather to boot. In this post-Big Day Out era, many of its former attendees now have a new annual highlight on their live music calendar with the ability to bring their kids along as well (if they have them).
Winery concert behemoth A Day on the Green is often referred to as the ‘Big Day Out for grown-ups’. Two years in, Hello Sunshine can already claim the title of the ‘Big Day Out for families’, and it’s only going to get even bigger.
