Mel Yuan for Brunswick

The Brunswick Music Festival kicks off with the Sydney Road Street Party in March each year. However, it is getting harder for Sydney Road traders and community groups to be genuinely part of what should be a truly local event. The street party has failed if there are simply lots of outside stalls and vendors. There has been a noticeable decline in the number of Sydney Road traders and community groups participating in the last 10 years. A true community event should prioritise:

• Sydney Road traders
• Merri-bek community groups
• Merri-bek resident performers including groups such as the Merri-bek City Band, groups that celebrate Merri-bek’s specific culturally and linguistically diverse community and local young people and emerging artists

Council should:

• Liaise more closely with the Sydney Road Brunswick Association to promote and support the event
• Communicate to community, youth and performance groups well in advance of the closing date and facilitate and enable their participation
• Ensure the EoI form asks people to identify if they operate or are headquartered in Merri-bek

The Sydney Road Street Party has undoubtedly been a more professionally run event since COVID-19, but what is its point if it does not serve the Merri-bek community and businesses?