The Melbourne festival is slated to host over 500,000 attendees this year…

Melbourne’s RISING has fast become a Victorian favourite since its debut just a few short years ago, the cultural event bringing together all lovers of music, food and art for over a week of celebration. Following their smash success last year with a record-breaking 600,000 attendees, the event is now poised for its biggest iteration yet, and understandably, everyone is chomping at the bit to get in, especially now that banking app, Up, is now having its own activation at this year’s event.

Known for its ease of access for transferring funds instantaneously, Up will be helping to curate the official festival hub for RISING 2023. Titled Night Trade, the activation will be a place of “Curated chaos” and will provide visitors with backstage access, psychedelic environments and most of all, a totally unique banking encounter. At the heart of Night Trade, however, is the Up bar, which will offer a glimpse into the world of banking transactions, coupled with otherworldly visuals courtesy of Puerto Rican psychedelic collective, Poncili Creacion.

Naturally, Up customers (AKA Upsiders) will get some extra special treatment at the Night Trade, with an assortment of neons, LED screens, and smoke machines on hand to treat them whenever they order a drink at the bar. Additionally, Upsiders will receive a $5 cashback on their first bar purchase (I can assure you I’ll be taking full advantage of that last part).

It’s a whole new level of collaboration for the art and finance worlds, and with the centrality of Up’s Night Trade activation at this year’s event, we’re guessing its set to be one of the biggest attractions at RISING 2023. Be sure to head to the official website here for more info.