PROGRAM GUIDE : Night Trade

Music, food, art, karaoke and perception-melting lasers.

Your alley-bound festival hub is back in Capitol Arcade and Howey Place. It's open late and all free to explore. Here's a closer look at where to eat, dance, dissolve (and potentially date).

What's on

• On the corner of Little Collins and The Capitol, lives a dog. A Saedog. Encased in bouncy latex. Trapped behind glass. A new best friend. Made for loving you. The creation of Tokyo-based artist Saeborg. Go for a gawk and discover who's watching who.

• Head up into the Capitol Theatre to find a light-spiked gateway to the edges of perception. For intangible #form artist Shohei Fujimoto morphs the iconic auditorium into a pulsing ocean of lasers. Objects with no physical properties flicker and form before you. Floating prisms, spheres, and cubes enter the realm of the real.

• Then it's back down to Earth (or possibly further into the stratosphere) for RISING Star Karaoke. After running the room last year, Mummy’s Plastic are back to spark the mic. From future divas to stargazers, groups of friends or solo venturers—everyone's welcome.
  

• Check out Chong World—Rose Chong's self-portrait and archival costume exhibition. The owner of Fitzroy’s iconic costume shop has been styling party-goers and making fabulous threads for film industry types since 1979. Her motto is “walk in as yourself and walk out as someone else entirely”. See what happens when this uncanny flair for self-transformation is redirected at her own self-image.

Music

• Local label Music in Exile are taking over the Night Trade Stage on opening night, Wednesday 4 June. They're getting DJ Kgomotso on the decks who'll be mixing soulful jazz, house and kwaito. Also, LUNA, a Colombian DJ and broadcaster with eclectic sensibilities. Zjoso, a DJ of West African heritage, known for his deep cuts in UK funky and low-slung house. Ethiopian-Norwegian artist Olana is performing his joyous reggae-infused tunes too.

• For the rest of week one Nyege Nyege Collective are over from Kampala, Uganda to make full use of our custom Heartical Hi Powa sound system. These seminal promoters of African electronic music are bringing five afro-galactic artists, MC Yallah, Kampire, DJ Travella, Lady Hash and Hemedi. Check out this Nyege Nyege Playlist for a deeper dive.

• Old Plates DJs (the brainchild of DJ Manchild) will there to keep the atmosphere apt with Future Roots, Jumps, Business Partner and Zalina.

• In week two expect jungle juggling and dubbed-out boom bap from the Brooklyn-based Blazer Sound System, and a takeover from Disco Mediterranea featuring Mzrisk, Kobra3000, Sisterdeep and Navy Blue. Also, Lakatoi & Friends is an evening of music curated by experimental producer Ripley Kavara featuring General Feelings b2b Nicholas Currie, Kaurasi, Enter and Lakatoi with Porobibi on MC duties.

Food

Discovered x Wildpie Takeover

• Discovered Wildfoods and Wildpie are running a two-week takeover of The Howey Kitchen—serving ethically hunted wild game from across Australia, crafted into rich, slow-cooked pastries, juicy dim sims, and heartwarming comfort dishes. Open late.

Union Kiosk 

• A coffee shop serving jaffles, coffee, pastries and treats. Famously tasty. Totally vegan.

MoMo Station

• Metal trays piled with authentic handmade dumplings and street food from the Kingdom of Nepal.

Madame Vuu

• Bánh Mì, Pho, creamy Laksa. Whether you want a quick bite or a full meal, Madame Vuu is your go-to for Vietnamese.