Melbourne Fringe Festival throws Long Prawn on the BBQ

It’s a public barbecue, but not as you know it. The amphitheatre at Federation Square is about to get COOKED. 

An architecturally-designed hot plate stage will take up residence in the riverside space for the length of the Melbourne Fringe Festival. 

Local culinary artists Long Prawn will be on hand to entice artists around the working barbecue with grilled food, some edible, some artistic. 

Free food will be available hourly during COOKED’s free drop-in daytime program.

In an Instagram post unveiling the new series of events to fans, Long Prawn said COOKED had been two years in the making.

“The program folds together various saucy elements; hot design, bratty bratwursts, a spoonful of collaborators, chefs we crush on, food we adore [and] artists [who] make us blush,” the culinary collaborative said.

In the evenings, the amphitheatre will transform for Cooked: Hot Nights, featuring live music, performance and snacks. Hot Nights will kick off with Seasoning the Grill, a free First Nations grill up and smoke out. The First Nations-led performance will feature dance, DJs, art and “mad feeds”.

The bespoke grill space has been designed by Melbourne-based Mikhail Savin Roderick Projects, with interiors by Mike Hewson. COOKED will be open October 1 through October 20. 

A full calendar of events around the BBQ is available at melbournefringe.com.au. •