Big West Board respond to criticism

In a detailed statement the Board have outlined their reasons for closing the festival down but failed to explain their lack of community consultation.
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Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey’s The Megaphone Project at Big West Festival.  Image via estheranatolitis.net

Following the recent unexpected announcement that Big West Festival would ‘retire’ by the end of the year, and the subsequent launch of a Save Big West campaign by concerned artists and community members in Melbourne’s western suburbs, the festival’s Board have released a detailed statement addressing the questions put to them by ArtsHub.

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts