Yarra City Council is proud to have been recognised at the 2023 Mainstreet Australia Awards, winning the category Best Main Street Place Activation, Event or Initiative - Council working with Traders Association, Traders, Community Group – Activity Cost under 100k for our Yarra Grooves initiative.
The Mainstreet Australia Awards were held on Friday 19 May to recognise "the achievements of the people, programs and organisations that ensure the ongoing survival of our main streets".
Yarra was awarded for our 2022 Yarra Grooves initiative, which saw over 500 people learn about the rich histories of our main streets through a guided silent disco.
To deliver this program, Council utilised the Covid Safe Outdoor Activation Funding to engage Melbourne performing company Guru Dudu, who are best known for their silent discos.
Council officers conducted research to collect the histories of the residents and traders from each precinct, including stories of immigration, sport, art and more. During each tour these histories were shared through story and song to paint a picture of the unique qualities of each area.
The tours emphasised the importance of our local traders and encouraged attendees to support local businesses through a sense of community connection.
Each tour was free to attend with attendees encouraged to register prior to the event. However, the structure of the tour also allowed for residents to join spontaneously mid-tour, adding to the magic of each event.
The tours also closely followed COVID-safe protocols, providing our community with an opportunity to reconnect with their local shopping precincts during pandemic recovery.
A total of 18 tours were conducted between May and August in 2022 and covered ten different areas including Bridge Road, Brunswick, Smith and Gertrude Streets, and Clifton Hill among others.
Yarra City Council is proud of the diverse main streets within our municipality. Yarra Grooves was an important element of how we're keeping the stories of these historic precincts alive for our residents.
Council would like to thank Mainstreet Australia for recognising us with this award. We also acknowledge the other nominees within our same category for their efforts to keep historic main street precincts alive.
