Meredith Music Festival began in 1991 as an end-of-year party for about 200 people. Golden Plains came into existence in 2007.
Both iterations remain independent. Three of the four original organisers are still involved in the organising. The fourth still comes along every year, just for fun.
The festivals have been self-funded since the beginning and both have a ‘No Commercial Sponsors’ policy. Neither Meredith in 2020 and 2021 nor Golden Plains in 2021 and 2022 have been able to be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, the festivals were awarded grants from the state and federal governments.
In January 2021, Meredith received a Creative Victoria grant from the Victorian Music Industry Recovery Program, to support workers to remain engaged via a number of professional development and training activities.
In May 2021, Meredith received a Music Works grant from Creative Victoria to help reactivate the festival. When the 30th Meredith takes place, funds awarded in the grant are allocated specifically to Victorian artists, creatives and creative workers.
In July 2021, Meredith and Golden Plains were among 328 Australian arts organisations to be awarded a grant from the Australian Government’s Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund. More about RISE can be found here.
The festivals remain majority self-funded.
We are grateful for the support of both Creative Victoria and the Australian Government.
The Victorian Government’s Live Music Restart and event interruption insurance are excellent initiatives and will help the festivals return when the time is right – starting with Meredith in December 2022.
We are also mindful that many arts organisations and, in particular, arts workers urgently need support – ongoing, targeted, reliable support.
