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 2020 nor Golden Plains 2021 were 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, 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, 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, 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.
We are also mindful that many arts organisations and, in particular, arts workers urgently need support – ongoing, targeted, reliable support.
