Homelands Festival

HOMELANDS

hey melbourne.

Lets get LOUD about

homelessness.

music festival exclusive

to melbourne,

ADVENTURE THROUGH THE HOMELAND BELOW

ABOUT US

Homelands is a new and upcoming music festival that will be playing in Melbourne at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on November 25th. The festival is a fundraising event featuring a range of Australian artists, withaward-winning international guest Lorde set to headline.

The festival will be run in partnership with Melbourne Zero, an organisation addressing the issue of homelessness in Melbourne. A quarter of the proceeds made by the festival will go towards the organisation. Homelands will also be partnering with Homie, a Melbourne organisation aiming to reduce homelessness in Melbourne by creating pathways for young people affected by homelessness and hardship through employment opportunities. Homie has created a clothing line whose proceeds will allow those affected to gain the skills, confidence, and experiences to be more equipped for their future. All merchandise proceeds will be going to Homie. Homelands is set to be a ground breaking charity event that destigmatizes the topic of homelessness while also making individuals aware of the issue and how they can offer their help.

Tickets are affordable. The location is unbeatable. This cause is amazing. This is a Melbourne exclusive that should not be missed!

KEY PEOPLE

The Homelessness Of Melbourne Incorporated Enterprise or HoMie is a non-for-profit organisation that supports young people affected by homelessness or hardship. HoMie was started by a group of friends eager to decrease the stigma of homelessness by creating their Facebook page, “Homelessness of Melbourne”. The success of this page led to a pop-up shop in Melbourne Central selling their designed T-shirts and other brands.

The “Pathway Project” is another programme created by HoMie. It is a retail training programme to equip young people with skills and experiences to enter the workforce. This gave rise to the HoMie Pathway Alliance programme, which is an eight-month retail internship at the HoMie store or at HoMie Pathway Alliance businesses.

These initiatives set out to not only bring awareness to homelessness, but give those experiencing it a platform to learn and develop.

Homelands is proud to partner with HoMie, who will continue to raise much needed funds by supplying the merchandise for the festival.

Homelands has partnered with Melbourne Zero to help end homelessness in Melbourne for good.

The Melbourne Zero movement is powered by Launch Housing and aims to end street homelessness in Melbourne’s CBD. The campaign's goal is to get to “functional zero”, which indicates a community does not possess any homelessness and any experiences of homelessness is non-recurring.

The Melbourne Zero Network has partnered with several Melbourne-based organisations and brands such as HoMie, Readings and The Big Issue to publicly call for change.

People can take action and voice their support through the organisation's online petitions and resources, as well as their initiatives and events happening all year round. Additonally, they raise awareness by sharing real stories of people experiencing homelessness and by providing a platform for the public to talk about the topic in casual settings.

We think the platform of a festival is a perfect large scale casual setting!

A percentage of our ticket sales will go towards the organisation.

Press Release 1.

New Melbourne Festival making noise for a cause

24 January 2023

A brand new festival at Melbourne’s own Sidney Myer Music Bowl is set to arrive this November, with a vast array of big name artists and quality merchandise available for the city to enjoy.

‘Homelands’ will partner with non-for-profit organisation Melbourne Zero, who work to engage with Melbournians to raise funds and increase awareness about the topic of homelessness.

Destigmatisation of the topic is at the forefront of festival partner Melbourne Zero’s mind, with the festival creating an unlikely yet engaging way to get the public talking about the topic.

CEO of Launch Housing who is a partner of Melbourne Zero, Bevan Warner, says that when homelessness is addressed in a casual setting, ‘it raises the profile of this often ‘hidden’ issue, builds our collective understanding and shows there’s a supportive community movement to end homelessness in our city’, making the festival an apt platform.

The initiative comes as homelessness in Victoria has risen by 24 per cent since the last Census five years ago, giving reason as to why public awareness and funding is requiring an increase to make a difference.

‘We’re all about enabling people, business and organisations to voice their support and take action to help end homelessness in our city’, says Melbourne Zero spokesperson.

The one day music festival will provide a range of Australian music artists to cater to Melbourne’s eclectic taste, including International guest Lorde who will be headlining the festival - but there’s a twist.

Tickets will be available for an affordable price as opposed to the high prices of some popular Australian festivals, allowing for increased accessibility to the wider public.

‘We don’t want ticket prices to be a limiting factor for people, especially when financial hardship is a leading cause of homelessness,’ says festival director Miss Meso Co.

A co-founder of the festival explains that the location of the festival will also allow for increased accessibility for festival-goers.

‘Victorian music festivals usually take place in remote areas that require at least a two hour drive from Melbourne, inconveniencing those who do not have the means to commute,’ she says.

The central location of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on traditional Wurrundjeri Woi Wurrung land will offer not only an urban backdrop, but an appropriate setting for the partnering organisation addressing homelessness in its city.

Press Release 2.

Homelands festival set to bring crowd favourites to support a mission

14 August 2023

Mesoco and joint venture partner Melbourne Zero announced a charity music festival, Homelands, to be held at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on 25th November to raise awareness for homelessness in Melbourne and support Victorians affected by homelessness and hardship.

Homelands will star local artists, with international headliner Lorde set to appear. The set list is a multi-genre lineup with Indigenous artists expected to perform.

The Homelands Festival aims to target adults aged 18-35 and will provide a day of music and food. Attendees will enjoy the atmosphere, learn about homelessness in Melbourne, and be given resources to support.

The Mesoco and Melbourne Zero collaboration will benefit several local organizations that support ending homelessness in Melbourne, including HoMie. Organizers selected the central location of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl to invite metro and regional audience members.

HoMie is a not-for-profit organization that aims to support homelessness in Melbourne through donations and community engagement programs. HoMie is a streetwear brand that hires adults struggling with homelessness to guide them with skills to re-enter the workplace. They are actively looking for new ways to engage with the community to achieve maximum reach, creating maximum impact. Their ultimate goal is to humanize the notion of homelessness by destigmatizing the issue.

Nicki Pearce, CEO of HoMie, said, “The reasons behind homelessness are so contrasted to the stereotype.”

Their Brunswick St. store is a space for consumers to shop the latest streetwear styles but to be further informed on the issue. Pearce continues, “It’s not through ... the fault of their own like people often think.”

HoMie will attend the event to debut its upcycled collection and provide further details about how patrons can support Melbourne Zero and their initiative. HoMie’s debut will take place at their pop-up stall at the festival. Proceeds from the sales will be donated to Melbourne Zero and HoMie to further support the cause.

The full lineup for the 2023 Homelands Festival will be announced on Thursday, 7th September. Participants can purchase tickets online on the Homelands website, sponsored by Melbourne Zero.

Media: Facebook event