Untapped potential: Should Docklands be a bigger part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival?

What is the Melbourne Fringe Festival?

One of Melbourne’s most entertaining arts festivals returns in 2025, running from September 30 to October 19. This year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival invites audiences to embrace the “Action Heroes” theme, not the cape-wearing kind, but people who recognise that change comes from individual action.

The festival’s home page implores visitors to “see something, do something, change something,” emphasising a hands‑on celebration of creativity.

The Festival FAQ explains that Fringe is a 20‑day celebration of independent art, featuring 450-plus events each year. From public artworks and industry all‑stars to undiscovered new talent, the program is deliberately inclusive and eclectic. Melbourne Fringe creative director and CEO Simon Abrahams describes the festival as “the city’s creative playground” where anyone can share their art, calling it “Melbourne’s independent arts scene in all its bold, brilliant, messy glory”.

A citywide canvas

Australian Arts Review notes that the 2025 festival will present more than 500 events across theatres, laneways, living rooms, beaches and even car parks. This open‑access approach means performances can pop up almost anywhere.

The Opening Night Gala at the Capitol Theatre is a 90-minute spectacle of bold ideas, high-voltage performance, and independent art, setting the tone for a festival that thrives on the feeling of “what should I see now?”.

Digital Fringe events allow people to stream performances from anywhere in the world, and many events are free.

Why Docklands should be part of Fringe

Docklands isn’t traditionally seen as an arts hub, yet it’s perfectly positioned to host Fringe events. With open plazas, waterfront boardwalks, heritage sheds and community spaces, Docklands offers canvases for site‑specific art and performance.

The festival’s open‑access model means anyone can register an event, including independent artists, community groups and even small businesses. Imagine:

• Pop‑up theatre on the wharf. A performance staged on a repurposed barge at the area formerly occupied by Central Pier.
• Harbourside cabaret on a floating pontoon, giving locals a taste of the Fringe’s immersive cabaret offerings.
• Interactive art installations along the promenades, encouraging residents to “do something” in the spirit of the festival’s theme.
• Community workshops in spaces like Buluk Park or local community centres, inspired by the festival’s open programme.

By hosting a variety of engaging and diverse Fringe events, Docklands has the opportunity to completely shed its stereotype as merely a commuter hub or a residential area. Instead, it can reinvent itself as a vibrant and dynamic cultural destination that attracts visitors from all over. These events create a platform for local creatives, artists, and performers to showcase their work, gain recognition, and connect with new audiences.

Additionally, small businesses within the area can benefit by attracting new customers and increasing their visibility during the festival season. The festival’s expansive reach, stretching across the entire city from intimate living rooms to bustling beaches, demonstrates that there is truly no such thing as a “wrong” location or approach when it comes to promoting culture and community. This inclusive, wide-reaching approach ensures that everyone can participate and feel connected, thereby enriching the city’s cultural landscape as a whole.

Community and business benefits

Fringe festivals are known to lift foot traffic and draw new visitors. With more than 500 events city‑wide, visitors often travel between venues, discovering new neighbourhoods along the way.

Docklands businesses stand to benefit from this festival‑goer traffic: cafés can offer themed specials, retailers can stay open late, and bars can host after‑show meet‑ups. Free events make the festival accessible to residents of all ages and backgrounds.

Docklands residents often lament the lack of community events. Melbourne Fringe offers a ready‑made platform for community‑driven creativity, with resources for independent artists and accessibility guidelines to ensure everyone can participate. The festival team educates artists about access and inclusion and allows the program to be filtered by captioned, Auslan interpreted or relaxed performances.

How Docklands creatives can get involved

1. Register early. The festival’s open‑access program welcomes all artists, but registrations close months in advance. Aspiring performers should sign up for 2026 updates if 2025 registration has closed and watch for deadlines on the Fringe website.
2. Plan a unique venue. Docklands offers unconventional spaces, think converted shipping containers, waterfront stages or community rooftops. Use the festival’s example of shows in cars, beaches and carparks as inspiration.
3. Partner with local businesses. Team up with a café or boutique to create an immersive experience; they benefit from foot traffic, and you gain a venue.
4. Embrace accessibility and inclusion. Melbourne Fringe prioritises access for all audiences. Choose venues with ramps or lift access, consider Auslan interpreters, and provide clear information about sensory aspects of your show.
5. Leverage Digital Fringe. If weather or logistics make outdoor events challenging, digital performances allow you to reach audiences globally. Docklands creatives can stream from home studios or local co‑working spaces.
6. Promote through community networks. Docklands has an engaged readership through Docklands News. Pitch your show to the paper, collaborate with neighbourhood groups and share details on community social media pages.

Protecting yourself

Turning a café, boat or open plaza into a Fringe venue introduces new risks, such as weather‑related cancellations, equipment damage, audience injuries or accidental property damage. For small businesses and sole‑trader artists, typical annual insurance may be too rigid or expensive for a three‑week festival. That’s where flexible business insurance comes in.

Flexible policies let businesses scale coverage up or down for short‑term events, covering public liability, property and equipment only for the period they need it. Businesses hosting performances can add event cover to an existing policy instead of buying a full new policy. This helps to protect entrepreneurs from financial setbacks while keeping overheads manageable. It’s a crucial safety net when a sudden spring storm, a technical mishap or an unexpected large crowd could derail an event.

Conclusion: a chance to reimagine Docklands

Melbourne Fringe Festival’s mission is to democratise the arts. It transforms theatres, laneways, beaches and living rooms into stages and invites everyone to become an “action hero” for cultural change.

Docklands has long sought events that build community and attract visitors; Fringe offers that golden opportunity. By hosting performances, art installations and workshops, local creators can showcase their talents, businesses can thrive on increased foot traffic, and residents can experience the vibrant, messy glory of independent art without leaving the suburb.

With the right planning, the Docklands can easily become a cultural hotspot, join Melbourne’s creative playground and help reimagine what the precinct's potential can be.