Who knew drinking and banking could be such a fun mix?

Melbourne music, art and culture festival RISING kicked off on Wednesday with a bang, the Victorian mainstay making its return to universal acclaim. One of the most highly-anticipated events of this year’s festival, however, was easily the Night Trade bar activation, courtesy of banking app Up.

Living up to its promise of “curated chaos”, the activation treated attendees to a suite of backstage experiences, psychedelic environments and of course, the Up bar. Upsiders enjoyed the full extent of it as well, being treated to a series of neons, LED screens and smoke machines whenever they ordered a drink at the bar. Understandably, the bar’s confines were soon filled to the brim as everyone got in on the action, and as always, we were on the scene. Get caught up via the gallery above and if you’re at Rising in the next couple of days, we highly recommend you check it out (Terms & Conditions at up.com.au/rising2023):

Event: Night Trade Activation
Location: RISING Festival, Victoria
Date: 8/6/2023
Photographer: Sam Hart