The Village Square

The Village Square was a temporary pop-up venue located on the corner of Lyttleton and Frederick Streets, Castlemaine. The project was made possible through the Victorian Government’s COVIDSafe Outdoor Activation Fund and Creative Neighborhoods Partnership Pilot Program.

Through the Village Square project, Council has purchased mobile outdoor event infrastructure to support further outdoor program development opportunities in the future.

The site was chosen to highlight Council’s plans to improve Frederick Street through temporary arts activations (Castlemaine Streetscape Plan and Design Standards 2020).

This pop-up space will be closed at the end of June 2022.

We’re bidding a fond farewell to the Village Square with one last hurrah on Saturday 18 June. Join us for a ‘farewell’ smoking ceremony with Dja Dja Wurrung Elder, Uncle Rick Nelson at 5.30pm before free and family-friendly entertainment commences at 6.00pm along Mechanics Lane and the Phee Broadway Theatre precinct.

This event is to help launch the next stage of the Get Lost platform – a website established in 2020 as a place for the shire’s creative community to collaborate, exchange ideas and share content.

Event details:

What: Get Together on Saturday 18 June
Where: Village Square, Frederick Street, Mechanics Lane, and Phee Broadway Theatre and online at www.getlost.org.au.

When: 5.30pm to 6.00pm
Where: Village Square
Details: Smoking Ceremony by Dja Dja Wurrung Elder, Uncle Rick Nelson

When: 6.00pm to 9.00pm
Where: Mechanics Lane
Details: K Sub stage featuring local DJs from the Castlemaine Electronic Workshop and 3451 Culture Collective

When: 6.15pm to 6.30pm
Where: Phee Broadway Theatre
Details: Get Lost presentation

When: 6.30pm to 9.00pm
Where: Phee Broadway Theatre
Details: Performances from blazing pop/disco outfit Sugar Fed Leopards and arts/music project DEAD

Since March 2021, the Village Square project has included:

• 160 performers presenting 39 free live music events
• 12 live radio broadcasts by MAIN fm
• 10 festival partnership investments (Castlemaine State Festival; Castlemaine Fringe Festival, Village Festival, Festival of Winemaking, Brewing and Distilling, Castlemaine Jazz Festival, Taradale Mineral Springs Festival, Maldon Folk Festival, Coscar’s Youth Film Festival, Castlemaine Documentary Film Festival and Castlemaine Pride Festival)
• 5 cinema screenings
• 3 circus skills workshops
• 2 outdoor theatre productions by the Castlemaine Theatre Company
• 2 mural commissions
• 2 Christmas late night trading events
• 2 stages (one powered entirely by solar energy)
• 1 garden constructed by 15 children (Village Festival project “Village Garden”)
• 1 youth employment skills program (FreeZA and Youth Advisory Committee).

Village Square – Frederick St car park comes to Life. by Leonie Van Eyk via Vimeo.

2020 Castlemaine Streetscape Plan and Design Standards