When Fed Square Reminded Me Why I Still Believe in This City
There’s been a bit of chatter online about the free opera concert at Fed Square tonight, and honestly, it’s given me a lot to think about. Someone posted about how packed it was, how magical the whole experience felt, and threw in a cheeky reference to Timothy Chalamet being wrong. For those not following the entertainment news cycle (I barely keep up myself), the actor recently made some comments about opera being too elitist or inaccessible – or something along those lines. The irony of his statement being contradicted by a packed Fed Square certainly wasn’t lost on the crowd.
What really caught my attention wasn’t just the event itself, but the range of reactions it sparked. Some people were genuinely moved by the experience. Others were… let’s say, less enthusiastic. One comment that particularly stuck with me was someone describing the event as “taking opera to the unwashed without having to let them into the lovely concert hall they paid for just down the street.” Ouch. There’s a certain elitism dripping from that statement that really gets under my skin.
Look, I get it. Opera tickets aren’t cheap, and if you’ve just shelled out $184 for seats at the ACO, you might feel a bit miffed that others are getting a version of high culture for free. But here’s the thing – that attitude misses the entire point of what public arts funding and public spaces are supposed to achieve. Fed Square isn’t a consolation prize for people who can’t afford Arts Centre Melbourne tickets. It’s a democratic space where culture can reach people who might never have considered walking through those hallowed doors.
The sneering reference to “the unwashed” really bothers me. It’s the kind of thinking that keeps the arts in a perpetual state of irrelevance to most people’s lives. When we gate-keep culture behind price barriers and then mock attempts to make it accessible, we’re essentially arguing that only certain people deserve to experience beauty and artistic excellence. That’s not just elitist – it’s fundamentally at odds with the whole idea of public funding for the arts.
There’s something beautifully subversive about opera in Fed Square. Here’s this art form that’s been historically associated with wealth and exclusivity, suddenly blasting out to thousands of people who might be there for completely different reasons. Maybe they were just walking past after work. Maybe they’d never heard opera before. Maybe they couldn’t care less about the “proper” way to experience it. And you know what? That’s absolutely fine.
The person who commented about wanting more of these events to make the CBD “less feral” probably didn’t mean it the way it came across, but there’s an interesting point buried in there. Public cultural events do transform spaces. They remind us that cities are for living in, not just commuting through or avoiding after dark. They create moments of shared experience that cut across all the usual divides.
What struck me most about the original post was the genuine joy and surprise in it. “Just magic,” they said. When was the last time you heard someone describe something free and accessible as magical? We’re so conditioned to believe that only expensive, exclusive experiences have value. A free concert? Must be inferior. But thousands of people packed into Fed Square, experiencing live opera together under the evening sky – tell me how that’s less valuable than sitting in velvet seats in a darkened theatre.
Sure, the acoustics probably weren’t perfect. The AI subtitles apparently went haywire and displayed the American national anthem lyrics instead (which is simultaneously hilarious and a bit concerning in terms of AI reliability). People were probably on their phones. Someone’s kid was probably crying. And it was still magic.
This is what public culture looks like in practice, and frankly, we need more of it. Not as a replacement for traditional venues, but as an expansion of what’s possible. The Arts Centre isn’t going anywhere, and those who want the full orchestral experience in optimal conditions can still have it. But creating pathways for more people to encounter arts they might otherwise never experience? That’s not dumbing down culture – it’s actually fulfilling the social contract that justifies public arts funding in the first place.
The cynics can roll their eyes all they want, but events like this are exactly what our city needs more of. They’re a reminder that culture isn’t just for those who can afford it or who already know the “right” way to appreciate it. They’re proof that when you lower the barriers – both financial and psychological – people will show up, and they’ll find meaning in the experience.
So yeah, maybe Chalamet was wrong. Or maybe he was right about opera needing to be more accessible, and Fed Square was doing exactly what he suggested. Either way, I’m glad we live in a city that still tries to do things like this, even if it means dealing with dodgy AI subtitles and the occasional snobbish comment online.
Melbourne isn’t perfect – we’ve got our problems like any city. But on nights like this, when thousands of people gather in a public square to experience something beautiful together, it reminds me why I’m still optimistic about what we can be.