Yarra's Leaps and Bounds Music Festival is back in 2021 – lighting up our city and bringing back music and live entertainment.
From 16 to 25 July, Leaps and Bounds will deliver an expanded program of music and activations across Yarra.
Going above and BEYOND expectations, the program features block parties and all day open air events as well as cosy, curated evenings. Highlights of this year's festival include:
- As a tribure to Brunswick Street's proud musical history, of the 80s and 90s, the opening weekend will see two live events at the Fitzroy Mills.
- Rose St will be closed to traffic on July 17 and 18 and will host a tribute to the historic Punters Club, programmed by Richard Moffat
- 'Fitzroyalty', a celebration of the best of the Fitzroy music scene curated by Mary Mihelakos.
- Melbourne darlings The Killjoys will play their ARIA winning debut 'Ruby' in full for a special one-off performance at The Fitzroy Town Hall Ballroom, presented by Sound As Ever.
- Smith Street Dreaming returns for its ninth year, celebrating the footprint of Koorie history in Collingwood and Fitzroy with performances by some of the the most established and emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians and artists.
- 4 intimate Gigs at Charcoal Lane will adopt a 'dinner and show' format. Operated by Mission Australia to provide hospitality training for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, the event will offer guests meals crafted from native Australian ingredients and performances from First Nations musicians.
- FesTAVARES celebrates the contribution of local leader Antonio Tavares who was a respected community advocate and beloved member of the Collingwood housing estate community. FesTAVARES will feature the music, food and culture of Australians of African descent. And as the newly coined Tavares Lane is brought to life, Sounds of Richmond will connect with the already electric hubbub of Victoria Street.
Festival-goers can compete in the deadliest live quiz show, BlakWiz 2021 (Leaps and Bounds Music Festival Edition) or for something a little more chilled, the Record Store Day Vinyl Party will celebrate Yarra record stores with free in-store performances, album and single launches and sales.
All the Queens Men will celebrate intergenerational LGBTIQ+ culture via delicious catering and dancing in Fitzroy Town Hall's Ballroom. And making sure all-ages are catered for, Leaps and Bounds staple Rock-a-bye-Baby will return to provide entertainment for babies and their parents or carers.
The program also features a Roller Disco in the Collingwood underground, a Rah Rah Retrospective celebrating women of Punk, a Music in Exile Stage in Victoria Street, an 'Industry Day' networking event for music industry professionals and a fabulous LGBTIQ elders Dance Club event.
The Labels Live and Streaming showcase will consist of live and streamed performances curated by both local and emerging City of Yarra record labels including The Push, Bad Apples and Rockhopper.
And of course, as a festival established to first and foremost support the sustainability of the live music sector, Leaps and Bounds will ensure Yarra's beloved live music venues are pumping, with over 50 gigs programmed for all tastes and wallets.
Leaps and Bounds Music Festival + BEYOND will finish with the return of the Gertrude Street Projection Festival. Always iconic and renowned for bringing light and colour to our streets in the middle of winter. The Gertrude Street Projection Festival will provide a luminous conclusion to this stunning 2021 program from Yarra Arts.
