Melbourne dives into festival mood

A fantastic free festival is set to attract even more people to Melbourne during the upcoming 12th FINA World Championships in March.

The main focus of the FINA Festival will be the weekend of March 23, 24 and 25, when the area around Federation Square and the nearby Birrarung Marr riverside park will come alive with music, street theatre, spectacular light shows and roving circus acts.

The festival will start with a live concert to be held straight after the FINA opening ceremony at Rod Laver Arena on March 17 and then fire up again on March 23 when more than 60 local and international performing arts companies descend on the city to entertain crowds.

More than 180 free events will include world music concerts, striking street theatre performances, dramatic flame and fire shows along the Yarra River. The BMW Edge theatre at Federation Square will host late-night cabaret, circus and DJ acts.

Food and wine will also feature prominently during the main festival weekend as organisers are working closely with the Melbourne’s Food and Wine Festival (March 16-30) which coincides with FINA.