‘For one night, it was like we were all back living our childhood dreams’

Sponsored by Melbourne Park

Jaymie Hooper

November 10, 2026 — 7:19am

For Emily Leveque, 37, Hilary Duff’s sold-out concert at Rod Laver Arena last month was a chance to revisit the music she grew up with. Joined by her sister, Laura, and surrounded by thousands of fellow fans wearing glitter and sparkling costumes, Leveque knew it was going to be an unforgettable night.

The connection was there before Duff took the stage. “The concert hadn’t started yet, but the arena was playing music from the early 2000s,” Leveque recalls.

“It really took us back, and at one point everyone was singing along to Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson. It made the teenager in me come alive.”

As soon as the house lights dipped and Duff’s silhouette appeared, Leveque, along with the rest of the crowd, leaped to her feet. “We were belting out tunes all night,” she says. “Making those memories with my sister will be something I hold onto for a long time.”

The sisters’ experience says as much about who is in the crowd as who is on stage. Across Melbourne Park’s six venues, audiences span generations, musical tastes and cultural backgrounds, each bringing their own connection to the events they come to see.

A calendar shaped by its audiences

“Four million people come through Melbourne Park each year for a blockbuster calendar of more than 500 events,” says chief executive officer John Harnden. “From global entertainment megastars, sport, family events, business events and, of course, the Australian Open, we pride ourselves on having something to suit every taste.”

That range of events is driven by an understanding who wants to see them. Harnden credits the precinct’s broad range of partners for its varied calendar of events.

“Over the past few years, we have deliberately broadened the range of hirers we work with, which has allowed us to expand our audience demographics,” he explains. “Last year, 67 per cent of our hirers were returning partners, while 33 per cent of our content came through new or emerging hirers,” he adds. “That combination helps to keep the calendar consistent, the offering fresh and audiences coming back.”

A place for more communities

For music fans, that can mean hearing the songs they grew up with or seeing an artist who shares their language or cultural background. Melbourne Park has responded to demand for a wider range of international acts by building relationships with promoters who can bring them to Australia.

That growth has been particularly pronounced in Asian Pop. Where a decade ago, Asian performers accounted for zero per cent of events held at Melbourne Park, last year they represented 15 per cent of all acts. “We’ve recently seen some incredible emerging artists hit our stages,” Harnden adds. “Karan Aujla played two nights at Rod Laver Arena, MAMAMOO performed at John Cain Arena and Elissa performed at Margaret Court Arena.”

An audience beyond Melbourne

The diversity of the calendar attracts visitors from across the state and country, with one in four guests who attend a headline event at Rod Laver Arena travelling from interstate or overseas.

“Fans are prepared to travel to see the acts that matter to them,” Harnden says. “Thirty per cent of our K-pop audiences travel from elsewhere in Victoria or interstate, while for country music, 70 per cent come from outside Melbourne.”

“The event gives people a reason to travel, but those visitors also pack the city’s restaurants and bars, and stay in hotels,” Harnden says. “That drives important economic benefits for the state and reinforces the important contribution live events make to the visitor economy.”

United through sound

No matter where you’ve travelled from or which artist you came to see, the true power of Melbourne Park is its ability to bring people together.

“When we last measured it, nine in 10 people came to Melbourne Park with at least one other person,” Harnden says.

“That’s a reminder of how much the occasion matters, as well as the performance. For communities with a strong connection to an artist or a particular kind of music, seeing that artist here in Melbourne can mean a great deal.”

It certainly did for Leveque, who says that seeing Hilary Duff alongside her sister and almost 15,000 fans is an experience she’ll never forget.

“Those songs hold so many memories for my sister and I,” she says. “Most of the crowd grew up listening to this music, and for one night, it was like we were all back living our childhood dreams.”

The evening concluded with an explosion of confetti and balloons, but even as the crowds dispersed from the stadium, the energy remained high.

“After the show ended, people were still singing and dancing as we walked back to our car on Flinders Lane,” Leveque says. “It was a very wholesome experience and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it. It felt like everyone was just out for a good time.”

Find out what’s on at melbournepark.com.au

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