Midsumma Faces ‘Unexpected’ Eviction From Melbourne CBD Office
Image: Image: Midsumma Festival
This article was originally published on City Hub.
Midsumma, Australia’s leading queer arts and cultural organisation, is in urgent need of new office accommodation after it was “unexpectedly” asked the vacate its current premises by the end of the week.
Just six months ahead of the forthcoming Midsumma Festival, the organisation has put out a public call to the community for leads in finding new office space,
According to Midsumma the unexpected timing of the eviction left it with no choice but to move non-essential items into storage and transition to remote work temporarily, while it looks for new office space in Melbourne CBD.
“While the timing of this has come about unexpectedly, we have been planning to secure new office accommodation for some time. Despite our considerable efforts to secure a lease for a new office, Midsumma has been unable to secure a suitable tenancy at an affordable rate,” Midsumma said in a statement.
New Management Of Building Broke Promise
Midsumma organises the Midsumma Festival, the annual Pride march in St Kilda, Victoria’s Pride festival and the one-day street Pride street party in North Melbourne. The next edition of the Midsumma Festival, its flagship event, is scheduled to be held from January 19 to February 9, 2055.
Midsumma said that the new management of its current building had assured them that they would have accommodation until early 2025. However, last month they issued a 30-day notice to vacate.
Its funding issues have meant that they have not paid commercial rent rates in the past, the organisation said. “Despite hiring a real estate broker and making significant attempts to secure a new space, we have been looking for something suitable and affordable in or near the CBD, even though many such spaces have been vacant for some time,” Midsumma said in a statement.
Midsumma Appeals To Community
The organisation has now turned to its best resource – the community. “We appeal to property owners, community members, and supporters to assist us in this time of need,” said Midsumma.
An ideal property for the organisation would mean “office space in or near central Melbourne that could accommodate our team at an affordable rent… a minimum space of 200/250 square metres with access on evenings and weekends and a loading dock or similar to facility staff working on various community events.”
“We are now contacting the community for support to help identify suitable and affordable office space,” said Midsumma, adding, “Our festival not only provides a platform for queer voices but also creates safe and inclusive spaces for communities to connect and thrive.”
