The Antipodes Festival, one of the largest and most iconic celebrations of Greek culture outside of Greece, draws over 100,000 people to Melbourne’s Lonsdale Street each year. With Greek traditional and contemporary music, dance, food, and drink, it has become a major event for the Greek Australian community and beyond. But what makes this festival unique? And how does it resonate with its stakeholders including attendees?
Dr Effie Steriopoulos, a senior lecturer at the William Angliss Institute, is exploring these questions as part of her research on the “experience economy” and the transformation of cultural festivals post-pandemic.
A festival for all Australians
As Antipodes Festival Director Jorge Menidis puts it, “The Antipodes Festival is a Melbourne festival, not a Greek festival.” The event extends beyond Greek heritage and has become a key part of Melbourne’s cultural calendar. The festival has evolved significantly over the years, adapting to new trends, social changes, and shifting audience expectations. Dr Steriopoulos’ research aims to understand these transformations and how cultural festivals continue to evolve.
Understanding the stakeholders
Stakeholders play a key role in shaping the Antipodes Festival. Businesses, councils, community groups, and sponsors influence everything from branding to audience engagement. These collaborations impact the festival’s cultural positioning and its ability to reach wider audiences.
However, the most important stakeholders are the festival-goers themselves. Their experiences, motivations, and perspectives are central to understanding the festival’s significance and future direction.
A call for participants
This is where Neos Kosmos readers come in. Dr Steriopoulos is exploring how major cultural festivals like Antipodes are being sustained and developed. The study, is independent of external funding, and seeks input from festival attendees, businesses, and community members to understand how motivations have shifted over time. Findings will be presented at academic conferences and published in academic journals. Preliminary results will be available from December 1, 2025.
For those interested in contributing to this research, Dr Steriopoulos welcomes participants to share their thoughts.
You can share your experience and provide feedback about ANTIPODES 2025, here.
For more information or to participate in the study, contact Dr Effie Steriopoulos at effie.steriopoulos@angliss.edu.au
