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The St Kilda Festival represents a unique and differentiated festival model with no near equivalents
in Australia. It contributes to the civic identity and cultural life of St Kilda and Melbourne, delivering
successfully on many of the Council’s broad strategic objectives. While the Festival’s impacts on its
host community are significant, at no stage during the Review did it become apparent that the
Festival’s negative impacts had outweighed the overall community benefits. The challenge for the
Festival moving forward will be to continue to deliver tangible benefits to the host community,
minimise negative local impacts and enhance its programmatic model so that it is engaging for
participants.
POLICY
The City of Port Phillip has created an event that delivers on many of the strategic objectives of
Council, as identified in the Council Plan 2009‐2013. As a major event that engages widely with the
local community, it also has the capacity to deliver on greater policy objectives, particularly the
Council’s goals regarding the engagement of young people, cultural vitality in the region, and
environmental sustainability.
To secure the Festival’s continued ability to meet Council objectives effectively, decisions regarding
its future direction need to be considered strategically. The introduction of a multi‐year funding
arrangement is viewed as a priority recommendation as it is critical to enabling the Festival to
effectively plan longer‐term programmatic aspirations and operational needs. The security of multi‐
year funding should also enable the Festival to diversify its income sources by leveraging new
partnership funding.
The Review has also identified policy inconsistencies that need to be addressed. The Festivals
Framework (2003) makes a number of statements that appear to be in conflict with the current
status of the Festival’s funding while the existing Events Policy (Draft 2009) does not consider
internally produced events. Rectifying these issues will improve the coherence and transparency of
the funding and operating environment in which the Festival exists.
There are a number of complexities that arise in the delivery of a major festival within a local
government portfolio. A gap has been observed in the existing strategic documentation to support
communications and planning between the Festival and the Council. A Development Strategy is an
effective way to provide an overview of the strategic direction of the Festival in a manner that
informs decision‐making and sets out program and delivery implications for Council.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
As a major event, Festival Sunday impacts on the host community in both positive and negative
ways. The positive impacts extend to community strengthening through active and passive
participation, constructive engagement of young people, stimulating the local economy, creation of
artistic development opportunities and showcasing of the local area. The negative impacts are
primarily related to resident amenity issues, in particular excessive noise and antisocial behaviour of
participants in addition to more general concerns about the event’s size, its artistic policies and
current programmatic model.
To better understand the community impact of the Festival moving forward, the collection and
analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data is important. In the past, there has been little
consistency with regards to the type and frequency of data collated. Market research, attendance
surveys and economic impact surveys has been undertaken on an ad hoc basis when funding is
available. In order to better understand community impacts it is crucial that a minimum level of
The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final 6
research is undertaken and adequately funded. Baseline reporting requirements also need to be
established with emergency service partners to enable more effective incident management
analysis post event.
Programmatically, the St Kilda Festival offers multiple entry points for participation by the local
community and statistical evidence suggests that local attendances and active participation are at
healthy levels. The ongoing development of local engagement strategies is critical to the Festival’s
future to ensure the retention of local identity and local support for the event. The Review has
found that there is an opportunity to strengthen the local component of the ancillary events
program on Festival Sunday. This could be achieved through multiple mechanisms but additional
funding support for local cultural partnerships, in particular, the development of an annual
Community Cultural Development project, is considered an optimal approach.
Though statistically minor, negative behaviours related to excessive alcohol consumption are real
challenges for the Festival while also representing realities that are already present in St Kilda (and
in the broader community). The Council has implemented numerous strategies to curb alcohol
consumption on Festival Sunday over the last 10 years but there are still some ‘grey areas’. The fact
that alcohol can currently be purchased at take‐away liquor outlets within the Festival precinct but
not consumed, appears to send contradictory messages to Festival participants and makes the
enforcement of an alcohol free zone fraught.
The efficacy of the Council’s strategy to directly manage the sale of alcohol within the Festival
precinct (through the operation of a number of bars) appears to have been a positive one. There is
merit in exploring the feasibility of the expansion of this strategy. There is a need, however, to
ensure that any further development of this strategy is effectively managed and does not simply
create more avenues for people to consume alcohol. An opportunity exists to develop the in‐house
bar concept through partnerships that reposition these areas as ‘cultural experience zones’ that
provide broad entertainment offerings.
The Review identified that the Festival’s event management team is highly regarded and has
worked consistently to minimise the impacts of the event on the host community. A significant
effort has made to improve sound attenuation issues, which was identified as one of the major
impacts to local amenity. The Review also identified local amenity concerns regarding traffic
management on Festival Sunday which does impact on host community access and egress on the
day. A feasibility assessment of the merit of extending road closures on Festival Sunday should be
undertaken to determine whether this is a beneficial strategy for reducing resident impact.
The Review has also found amenity issues related to a general concern by residents (and non‐
residents) that the number of public toilets was inadequate on Festival Sunday. The inference from
residents is that this impacts on local amenity by encouraging incidences of public urination on
private property. While this view cannot be supported by direct causal evidence, the provision of
adequate toilet facilities and directional signage is an issue that requires close monitoring by the
Festival’s event managers in 2010.
SUSTAINABILITY
While the Review has found that there is still strong community support for the Festival overall, a
number of concerns need ongoing management to ensure this support remains steadfast. Funding
levels and the clarity of intent of the overall Festival program are foremost issues to address. The
Review has identified historic underinvestment in programming and a commensurate undervaluing
of the contribution of Festival presenters with adequate remuneration.
The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final 7
The Council needs to remain aware of the risk of normalising a culture of purchasing artistic services
for lower‐than‐market‐accepted prices and in turn devaluing content while over‐capitalising on the
goodwill surrounding the programming of the Festival.
Supporting increased levels of programming investment, concurrent with the opportunity to
enhance the artistic policy is considered a positive step in ensuring the St Kilda Festival’s continued
longevity and appeal. There is a danger that a broad programmatic offering that is untargeted, will
lead to audience confusion, generic programming outcomes and host community disengagement.
Building and maintaining a sustainable programming model supported by an artistic policy is pivotal
to the Festival’s business development. However, any changes to the current programmatic model
need to be considered holistically, and review all existing program delivery including Festival
Sunday, Yalukit Wilam Ngargee and Live N Local.
The enhancement of the existing programmatic model will benefit from funding to support the
engagement of independent arts and cultural advice to assist the Festival producer in any
programmatic changes. As part of a longer‐term strategy, additional support should be provided to
the Festival Producer and program delivery team through the establishment of a fixed term panel of
industry peers to provide guiding advice on contemporary programming matters and issues.
Beyond programming, the Review has identified a number of opportunities to provide funding and
support to optimise the value of Festival staff skills and ensure the sustainability of the Festival in
the years ahead. An assessment of the existing capacity of the Festival team to effectively source,
develop and service relationships with major sponsors, build a volunteer program and offer
mentorship and training opportunities needs to be undertaken. Any financial investment in these
areas should be made on the basis of clearly established need and benefit to the Festival’s
development and longevity.
While the Festival has made some significant inroads in its ambition to demonstrate
environmentally sustainable practice, the Review identified that Council has not supported ongoing
funding in this area. An opportunity exists to redirect the sizeable revenue received from parking
infringement notices issued on Festival Sunday toward environmentally sustainability initiatives. In
the first instance, this funding could be used to support the reestablishment of the Festival’s
partnership with Sustainability Infrastructure Victoria.
ST KILDA’S IMAGE
As a highly visible, long running event that holds memories for many people, the St Kilda Festival is
squarely positioned to attract criticism and praise that is sometimes entwined with opinions held
about the local area more broadly. For some in the host community, Festival Sunday may represent
wider concerns about increasing commercialisation, unchecked growth and loss of local identity. To
others, including those outside the host community, Festival Sunday encourages their sense of
connectedness to the area and supports their firm belief that St Kilda belongs to everyone, not just
to those who call it home, or work in the area now.
These opinions may represent the extreme polarity of views, however, they need to be borne in
mind when making decisions about the St Kilda Festival’s own development. While a possible point
of tension, as a celebration of culture the St Kilda Festival presents an opportunity to simultaneously
acknowledge this convergence of views and to act as a catalyst for increased harmonisation
between them.
The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final 8
The Review has found that the allocation of resources toward marketing and communications could
improve the Festival’s ability to clearly demonstrate on its significant ability to deliver on Council’s
strategic objectives, particularly its successful engagement of young people. The St Kilda Festival has
the opportunity to build on its positive profile within the community and celebrate its success as a
free, bayside, outdoor community‐anchored cultural festival.
The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final 9
RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations build on the key findings and take into consideration all of the
information received during the review process (a matrix that illustrates the linkages between the
key findings and the recommendations is at Appendix One). The recommendations detail specific
actions that will assist the Council to deliver on its strategic objectives and support the sustainability
of the St Kilda Festival beyond 2010. To ensure a strategic implementation process is undertaken,
the Council is encouraged to work closely with the Festival team to determine a priority level and
the timeline for action it assigns each recommendation.
1. Establish a long‐term commitment to the St Kilda Festival by introducing a multi‐year
funding arrangement that will enable the Festival to plan strategically, improve its ability to
leverage diversified income sources and to deliver against Council’s broader objectives.
2. Review the purpose and applicability of the Council’s Festivals Framework (2003) to the St
Kilda Festival moving forward.
3. Develop a new (or amend the existing) Events Policy to ensure that there is improved
transparency regarding the St Kilda Festival to the local community and other stakeholders.
4. Improve strategic decision‐making by providing resources to support the creation of a
Development Strategy that will aid communications, planning and policy implementation
between the Festival and Council. This should become part of the annual planning cycle and
inform Council’s budget process.
5. Enhance the value of current research and reporting activity related to the St Kilda Festival
(including Festival Sunday) by:
i. establishing consistent methodology and frequency of research to enable comparison
from year to year.
The following frequency is recommended as a minimum:
a. Festival Sunday attendance surveys – annual
b. Live N Local attendance survey – annual
c. market research surveys (residents/traders) – every three years
d. economic impact analysis – every three years
ii. incorporating additional questions into future research:
a. attendance surveys (country of origin and/or ethnicity of Festival Sunday
participants)
b. market research surveys:
• reasons for traders not opening on Festival Sunday
• level of benefit from traders who do open on Festival Sunday
• (to non Festival Sunday attendees) programming that is likely to encourage
resident participation
iii. establishing baseline reporting requirements with emergency services partners to
enable meaningful comparison of public safety related data from year to year.
6. Provide additional funding to support the local component of the ancillary events program
on Festival Sunday. This should include the opportunity to explore partnerships with local
cultural organisations and the development of an annual Community Cultural Development
project.
The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final 10
7. Undertake a feasibility analysis regarding the Council’s overall alcohol management
strategies for the St Kilda Festival to:
a. establish the viability and effectiveness of closing take‐away liquor outlets within
the precinct on Festival Sunday, in consultation with Liquor Licensing Victoria and
other key partners
b. expand the number and area of the existing Council‐operated bars in the Festival
precinct as an effective community behaviour control measure
c. assess the opportunity to develop partnerships to reposition existing Council‐
operated bars as ‘cultural experience’ zones that provide broad entertainment and
cultural offerings including comedy, live music, video art etc.
8. Monitor and review the adequacy of public amenities during Festival Sunday in 2010.
Provide funding for additional temporary public conveniences and improved directional
signage to public amenities where deemed necessary.
9. Consider the feasibility and benefit of extending road closures on Festival Sunday from 2011
to reduce impact on local residents and promote public transport usage.
10. Build on and secure the ongoing sustainability of the arts and cultural program of the St
Kilda Festival by:
a. addressing immediate funding programming shortfalls, including Live N Local, and
providing a longer‐term investment strategy to support the implementation of the
Festival’s programmatic policy
b. allocate once off funding to engage independent arts and cultural advice to support
and work with the Festival Producer to develop a programmatic policy or framework
c. as a longer term strategy, support the Festival Producer and program delivery team
through the establishment of a fixed term panel of industry peers to provide guiding
advice on contemporary programming matters and issues.
11. Assess the Festival team’s existing capacity to undertake the following activities and
prioritise investment of additional resources where needed to ensure the sustainability and
relevance of the Festival in the years ahead:
a. source, develop and service relationships with major sponsors
b. build, recruit and manage a volunteer program in the mid to long term
c. develop mentoring programs to support participants through the Call for Events and
Call for Entries programs
d. share event management expertise, through the development of case studies,
training or mentoring initiatives with other Local Government Authorities, festival
associations and event organisers.
12. Redirect equivalent revenue from parking infringement notices on Festival Sunday towards
the delivery of the Festival’s environmental targets. These may include continuation of the
partnership with Sustainability Infrastructure Australia (or equivalent partner), improved
marketing of sustainable transport options to Festival Sunday, increased pre‐event
maintenance of green spaces and sound attenuation.
13. Provide appropriate resources for marketing and communications to ensure the St Kilda
Festival can improve its capacity to:
a. demonstrate clarity in its delivery of Council’s strategic policy objectives, particularly
the Festival’s successful engagement of young people
b. build on its positive profile within the community
c. celebrate its success as a free, bayside, outdoor community‐anchored cultural
festival.
The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final 11