RISING, Melbourne’s premier winter festival of music, performance, and art, has officially unveiled its 2025 program—an expansive lineup featuring 65 events, 327 artists, 15 new commissions, and 9 world premieres.
Taking place over 12 nights from June 4th–15th, the festival transforms the city’s laneways, theatres, and public spaces into a playground of creativity.
Headlining the music program is Suki Waterhouse, making her long-awaited Australian debut with two performances. The British artist will first play an intimate show at the Athenaeum before headlining the brand-new PICA music venue with her band.
Meanwhile, Beth Gibbons, the legendary Portishead frontwoman, will perform LIVES OUTGROWN in a one-night-only show at Hamer Hall, marking her first Australian solo performance in decades.
The Day Tripper festival-within-a-festival returns over the King’s Birthday weekend, giving fans a multi-venue pass to a stacked lineup featuring Brooklyn shoegazers DIIV, experimental rapper Bktherula, disco-gospel act Annie and the Caldwells, and Arnhem Land’s all-female Ripple Effect.
UK electronic pioneers Mount Kimbie will perform for the first time in 11 years, alongside dancehall innovator Paul St Hilaire and Sydney garage-punk outfit Antenna.
Beyond the headline acts, RISING 2025 revives Melbourne’s legendary Little Bands scene, a celebration of the city’s raw, underground synth-punk energy. The event, curated by Chapter Music, Liquid Architecture, and Cease + Desist, will bring together a cross-generational lineup of punk, indie, electronic, and experimental artists, echoing the DIY ethos that defined Melbourne’s alternative music landscape in the ’70s and ’80s.
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For those seeking a more immersive festival experience, RISING 2025 delivers in spades. Japanese artist Shohei Fujimoto, formerly of TeamLAB, presents Intangible Form, a large-scale kinetic laser installation at The Capitol. Meanwhile, the viral Space Out competition by Korean artist Woopsyang makes its Australian debut, challenging participants to sit in absolute stillness for 90 minutes. Over at Federation Square, BLOCKBUSTER, a vibrant, free South Asian cultural event, will feature Punjabi rap, R&B, Sufi melodies, and immersive art installations.
Elsewhere, Flinders Street Station’s abandoned ballroom will be transformed into Swingers: The Art of Mini Golf, a playable art exhibition featuring work by Miranda July, Kaylene Whiskey, and Saeborg, whose latex-infused pop surrealism will take over the course.
Tickets & info: rising.melbourne
