Artists like John Butler playing at the Riverboats Music festival is testament to the success of the event.
Photo by
Emily Donohoe
The Victorian Government is backing the state’s live music scene with a new round of funding for festivals, musicians and venues across the state.
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Eleven festivals have received up to $50,000 each through the Live Music Festivals Fund, as part of a $35.4 million support package unveiled in the Victorian Budget 2023-24.
Creative Victoria is managing the grant distribution.
Riverboats Music Festival has secured the maximum $50,000 grant, with festival director Dave Frazer welcoming the support.
The Riverboats Music Festival has firmly established itself as the Murray River's premier annual music event, attracting more than 5000 people to the community of Echuca-Moama each year, as it has done for the past 13 years.
“We are absolutely thrilled to receive support,” Mr Frazer said.
“This injection of funds going into our 14th year couldn’t have come at a better time.
“There has been quite a lot of talk in the media about the challenges facing live music and festivals and it is great to see the state government support events like us, annual events like ours, to ensure that we can continue along into the future.”
Mr Frazer highlighted that the festival delivers substantial economic benefits to the region.
“It is a festival that contributes in excess of $2.5 million into the local economy, according to Visit Victoria each year,” he said.
The 2026 Riverboats Music Festival will take place from February 13 to 15, 2026, with the line-up to be announced in mid-October.
“The line-up is shaping up to be a pretty spectacular one for next year's festival,” Mr Frazer said.
“I think we have developed a really wonderful reputation for punching well above our weight in terms of the calibre of artists that are drawn to an event such as this.
“We are consistently told by the artists that are at Riverboats that the great thing about our festival is it is so up close and personal.”
Three-quarters of the Riverboats Music Festival audience are repeat visitors to the event, which Mr Frazer thinks is a testament to how far the event has come.
“I think people get really excited every year when we launch the event,” he said.
“That signals the start of summer.”
The Riverboats Music Festival in Echuca-Moama received the maximum $50,000 grant and is a significant annual music event along the Murray River.
Photo by
Ryan Bellingham
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