Melbourne’s long awaited (and briefly enjoyed) Rising has been put on ice following today’s public health advice for the city to undergo a seven-day lockdown, starting from 11.59pm Thursday May 27.

Rising opened only yesterday, and the ambitious new festival comprised works by some 750 artists.

Co-artistic directors Hannah Fox and Gideon Obarzanek said in a statement, “While today’s developments are devastating, we are buoyed by the sheer resilience of the staff and artists involved with Rising. Together they have created something that spoke to Melbourne; something beautiful and beguiling; something that would have reawakened our city. Together, they created something extraordinary, for extraordinary times. We could not be prouder.”

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All Rising events will be cancelled from 5pm Thursday May 27 until Friday June 4. Organisers will issue refunds directly to all ticket holders for events during this period.

Fox and Obarzanek say a decision will be made about events scheduled for Friday June 4, Saturday June 5 and Sunday June 6 in the coming week. However, if you need to cancel tickets booked between those days, you can email ticketing@rising.melbourne.

Patricia Piccinini’s A Miracle Constantly Repeated, which is running as part of the festival, is also cancelled for the next seven days. However, as the exhibition is running until August 31, you can book tickets for July 1 onwards. All other dates are paused for now.

Keep your fingers crossed for Rising’s return next week.

rising.melbourne