Australia Pavilion Cultural Program

The cultural program will be a comprehensive six-month program of Australian creative activities, performances, and displays conducted in and around the Australian pavilion. The cultural program aligns to the Australian Government's National Cultural Policy, Revive. The program will emphasise First Nations voices, celebrate our diverse society and the friendship between Australia and Japan as well as with other participating countries.

The program plays an important role in making the Australian pavilion a must-see destination. The cultural program is a primary vehicle for public engagement and will create a draw-card experience enabling the pavilion to stand out from the crowd. Australia will use the Osaka Expo platform to promote Australia's rich culture and diverse entertainment, sporting and culinary talent. 

The program will include daily performances and events during Expo operating hours (9am – 10pm). Incorporating live and digital events, it will showcase diverse voices and artforms spanning music, dance, physical theatre, and screen content, with a space for creative collaboration with other countries. 

The cultural precinct will continually reinvent itself each day and night – sometimes peaceful and contemplative, and at other times filled with excitement, liveliness and celebration. It will feature landscaped gardens of Australian native plants, a stage and a gathering circle for workshops. 

Events and activities must align with Australia’s strategic objectives for Expo. They must be available to present in Osaka, Japan between 13 April and 13 October 2025, with the exact dates to be confirmed upon selection. 

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The primary audience for the cultural program will be the Japanese public – the Expo Association predicts 90 per cent of visitors to the Expo will be Japanese, including school groups. The Australia Pavilion is anticipating 15,000 visitors per day over the 6-month period.

Visitors will be able to watch the cultural programming while waiting to enter the pavilion exhibition or sit and watch while enjoying refreshments from our food and beverage outlets. The program needs to be delivered in reasonably short grabs and be conducive to audiences dipping in and out. 

Stage information
We will provide updates on the stage as soon as we have confirmation of stage size, lighting, rigging specs and storage capacity.

Number of people the stage can accommodate: 
•    Band with drums - approximately six members
•    Dancers/physical performances - approximately four to six members
•    Choir or small instrumental groups - potential for up to 20 choir members

There is also a forecourt area that is landscaped and incorporates a gathering circle. Screens are available behind the stage for screen content. We anticipate access to Australian screen or digital content will play an important role in entertaining audiences. 

Costs 
It is anticipated performers will be engaged for a period of one to two weeks, with the number of performances and frequency to be negotiated. DFAT may not be able to cover all costs – this will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. DFAT acknowledges the Australian Government’s commitment to apply industry standards for musicians and performers. 

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All submissions will receive an automatic response to advise the EOI has been received. Those identified as suitable for the Cultural Program will receive further notification directly from the Osaka Expo Taskforce within eight weeks of submission. The EOIs that are not successful will not receive feedback or any further communication. 

EOIs will be assessed on a rolling basis. Following initial assessment, the evaluation panel may seek further information. DFAT reserves the right not to progress any proposal to shortlist, negotiation, or funding agreement stage. 

Requirements
The performance or event must meet the following basic requirements: 

• must be presented at the Australia Pavilion in Osaka, Japan between 13 April and 13 October 2025, with exact dates to be confirmed upon selection
• must not, in principle, promote a commercial product
• the performance or event is led by a financially viable organisation/individual with sufficient resources in place to deliver the performance or event as described in the EOI submission.

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The evaluation committee will consist of DFAT staff, who may seek advice from other government departments, agencies or sector representatives as needed. Assessment will be based on the following criteria:

• consistency with Australia’s objectives for the Expo and the Cultural Program objectives
• demonstration of excellence, creativity, innovation or best practice in the Australian creative, cultural and sporting industries
• as appropriate, audience engagement and appeal including a plan for communicating with the Japanese audience – proven track record in Japan is desirable but not essential 
• professionalism and experience
• feasibility and practicality within the pavilion’s logistical constraints (space, time, storage, technical requirements)
• partnership, or collaboration with Japanese organisation/group (desirable but not essential)  
• willingness to work with the Australian Government to promote Australia’s strengths and capabilities for the bilateral relationship.