Our Events in Public Spaces Policy aims to strike a balance between events and our residents’ right to the quiet enjoyment of public spaces.

As one of the smallest and densely populated municipalities in Victoria, our open spaces are in high demand.

We manage more than 600 events annually including major events such as:

• the Johnston St Fiesta  
• Victoria St Lunar Festival
• small local celebrations on residential streets
• park based events like fun runs, concerts and circuses.

The demand for outdoor spaces to function as temporary venues for commercial and community activities is increasing, and this trend is mirrored across wider Melbourne.

Alongside this, a growing population has led to increased pressure on parks and reserves for quiet enjoyment. As a result, there are increased expectations from the community for events to be more professionally organised to ensure public safety and to protect local amenity.

Public Spaces Policy

The Policy provides a clear framework under which event proposals will be considered and how these events will be managed.

Read our Events in Public Spaces Policy

Updated May 2022

The policy now includes:

• A single point of contact for event enquiries, applications and planning responses
• A public register of open spaces available for events
• Transparent criteria for processing requests
• An expression of interest process for major events, and
• An events in public places fee structure, tailored to the event type