Report to the Community 2013 | Page 4

2013 MELBOURNE FESTIVAL Melbourne Festival is one of the world’s most respected and acclaimed annual arts events, heralded for its global reach, its wholehearted support of international and Australian artists, and its ability to connect community and culture. Melbourne Festival promotes the work of approximately 1000 artists each year. 4 In 2013 Melbourne Festival was once again proud to bring a veritable feast of the very best from the world’s stages in theatre, dance, film, visual art, classic and contemporary music to Melbourne. Year on year, we enjoy rising to the creative challenge that keeps us a hallmark event on the Melbourne spring calendar – set between the AFL Grand Final and Melbourne Cup – instilling a sense of pride and affection in the citizens of this great cosmopolitan city. Our vision is to set and lead new standards for international arts festivals, to continue to create and present extraordinary performing and visual arts experiences and build upon our connection to the life, character and spirit of Melbourne by reflecting our city, while also inviting others in, to bring their experiences to bear. We have the benefit of engagement and participation from a wide range of local and international audiences and artists and thus, we embrace a spectrum of programming that ranges from risky to popular – catering for long-time arts lovers and first time arts goers. We are a Festival with a keen focus on being a connector – nurturing partnerships and connecting artists and audiences with each other and the wider world – fulfilling our role in Melbourne’s ambitions to be a creative capital in the 21st Century. With 2015 marking our 30th birthday, we look forward to the coming years with excitement and great pride and for now, invite you to reflect with us on many of the highlights of last year’s Melbourne Festival.