Light to Night: Chadstone turns up the glow with a new festival of art, food and music

The fashion capital is favouring flavour, music and art for Light to Night.

This winter, Chadstone is stepping beyond the shopping bag and into the spotlight, unveiling Light to Night, a month-long festival of immersive art, ambitious dining and after-dark entertainment designed to transform Australia’s largest retail destination into a cultural playground.

Launching on 11 June, the inaugural festival signals a bold evolution for Chadstone, cementing its status as far more than a shopping precinct. Think large-scale art installations, one-off culinary collaborations, intimate music performances and family-friendly experiences, all unfolding beneath the centre’s iconic gridshell roof.

Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around the region here.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Chadstone (@chadstone.au)

Named for the shift from daylight to evening, Light to Night invites visitors to experience Chadstone in a new light, quite literally. As the sun sets, the destination takes on a different rhythm, revealing a program that blends creativity, culture and community in unexpected ways.

Leading the charge is a major new commission from acclaimed Australian artist RONE. Titled HOME, the immersive installation transforms a retail tenancy into a distinctly Australian weatherboard house, equal parts familiar and unsettling. Known for his hauntingly beautiful explorations of decay and impermanence, RONE brings his signature aesthetic into sharp contrast with Chadstone’s polished surrounds, creating a work that is both captivating and quietly provocative.

Food takes centre stage, too. In partnership with Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, Chadstone will host the World’s Longest Dinner, marking the first time the celebrated concept has ventured beyond traditional festival programming. Picture 400 guests gathered along a single table for a four-course feast crafted by three of Melbourne’s most exciting young chefs. With ingredients sourced from traders within The Market Pavilion, the evening promises a showcase of exceptional local produce, culinary creativity and shared experience.

Elsewhere, visitors can encounter Through the Looking Glass, a striking large-scale sculpture by emerging artist Dean Norton in collaboration with Studio John Fish. Installed within the luxury precinct, the immersive work uses dichroic glass and shifting light to create a kaleidoscope of reflections beneath the soaring gridshell roof. Equal parts spectacle and sanctuary, it offers a moment of stillness amid the bustle.

As night falls, Light to Night transforms unexpected corners of the centre into stages for the city’s freshest talent. Two of Australia’s most exciting emerging acts—Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, and Oliver Cronin—will headline a new winter after-dark music series. Blending intimate live performances with immersive cultural programming, the series activates the precinct across a month-long run of late-night events.

Fresh off a wave of national momentum, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers continue to cement themselves as one of Australia’s most vital young live bands, their explosive performances, razor-sharp lyricism and punk energy making each show unmissable. Joining them is Oliver Cronin, whose emotionally charged pop songwriting has quickly earned him a devoted fanbase, marking him as one of the country’s breakout young artists. The series promises to bring a new rhythm to Chadstone after dark, offering Gen Z and millennial audiences a reason to linger and explore.

The broader festival program spans immersive art installations, late-night experiences and collaborative dining events, from wellness workshops with Kaya Health Club to high-energy Hype Night at Hijinx Hotel, alongside a school holiday offering that reimagines RONE’s exhibition for younger audiences through hands-on creative workshops.

For Chadstone Head of Brand and Marketing Mardi Ashkine, the festival represents a significant milestone in the destination’s ongoing transformation.

“Light to Night is a statement of intent, not just in scale, but in ambition,” she says.
“We’re creating a festival that feels unmistakably Melbourne, while showcasing Chadstone as a cultural destination in its own right. This program reflects how far the destination has evolved, from fashion and retail into a place for art, food, entertainment and meaningful shared experiences.”

Running until 12 July, Light to Night arrives as a compelling new addition to Melbourne’s winter calendar. Part cultural festival, part dining destination and part creative playground, it’s an invitation to stay and play a little longer after dark and discover a different, dazzling side of Chadstone, the fashion capital.

To find out more information, head here.