The first-ever ROAR FEST brought together music, community, and creativity on Boonwurrung Country over the Labour Day weekend in March, and behind every performance was a passionate team of emerging professionals from Collarts.
As the official education partner of ROAR FEST, Collarts played an instrumental role—not just through our partnership, but by creating real industry pathways and hands-on learning opportunities our students and alumni - the next generation of music and entertainment professionals.
Over 40 Collarts students were involved in ROAR FEST 2025, gaining firsthand experience in various roles across the festival. Three incredible students—Elise Hutchison, Ella Tucker, and Molly Milner—clocked more than 60 internship hours each with the Rackett Collective team, contributing to talent and event management, marketing, and operations. An additional 37 students participated in work placements across the festival weekend, taking on roles in artist liaison, journalism, photography, audio, technical production, and more.
Collarts digital and social media student Elise Hutchison reflected on her experience:
"It was the most amazing and rewarding experience to be surrounded by like-minded individuals who put their words into action! The team empowered us every step of the way, and I loved being able to create social media assets and have the freedom to put my own creativity into it. It’s so cool to be able to look through the official social media page and say, ‘I did that!’"
For Molly Milner, an entertainment management student, working on ROAR FEST was a chance to see the inner workings of a major festival:
"I had the opportunity to collaborate with some incredible individuals, such as my fellow interns Elise Hutchison and Ella Tucker, as well as my wonderful mentors from Rackett Collective—Cassie Walker, Tania Sullivan, and Tammy Blake—who organised the entire event. During my internship, I assisted in creating crucial paperwork, which taught me how much preparation goes into organising an event of this size. I then managed talent and Collarts work experience students, helped with setup and pack down, and assisted wherever I could to make sure the festival ran smoothly."
ROAR FEST not only showcased Aussie music icons and emerging artists—including performances from Collarts music students at the Grassroots Sessions at the Victorian Pride Centre—but also highlighted the importance of diversity, career development, and industry sustainability through interactive panel discussions.
A huge congratulations to all our students, and alumni who were involved and made this festival happen!