Exploring Forte: Regional Victoria’s premier music, arts and culture publication
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13.08.2020

Exploring Forte: Regional Victoria’s premier music, arts and culture publication

Words by Eva Marchingo

An insider’s guide to our regional neighbours.

Stage four lockdown might have made you feel like Melbourne is the only city in the world, or like you’ll never road trip along the Great Ocean Road again. But if you’re tired of merely dreaming of the Victorian hinterland and you need some wholesome countryside content to comfort you, Forte has you covered.

For the last 27 years, Forte has been an integral part of regional Victoria, continually reinvigorating the region’s cultural imagination. Over the past few decades, the publication has made a name for itself as the premier guide to Victoria’s best arts, music and culture outside of metropolitan Melbourne.

With a team of tastemakers littered around the state and strong connections to local artists, venues, organisations and brands, Forte lends itself to finding regional gems, providing universally relatable features and showcasing the best in local arts and music.

Always one to honour its roots, the publication collaborates with locals to create content that is diverse in scope, but ultimately community-driven and focused.

Forte will shout out the legendary local tradie handing out free coffee, or bring you a nostalgia hit from Warrnambool’s iconic Bunnings sausage sizzle. Forte will tell you where you can find snow, and which local baker is changing the game with their sweet treats.

It’s not just for locals either. Instead, it stands as both a warm invite and an insider’s guide to the best-kept secrets and hidden gems sprinkled across the state to which us city slickers would otherwise be none the wiser.

Once a staple magazine in all your favourite cafés, Forte now brings content to the palm of your hand via its digital platform as well as keeping your feeds updated with the very latest across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The website’s modern design pops with vibrancy and clarity, with easy functionality regardless which device you’re looking at it on.

Covering Forte’s digital pages, you’ll find stories from underrated community heroes, nostalgia-filled listicles, local music reviews, and rundowns on what big news means for your town.

The music section of Forte mixes intimate interviews and reviews with music news, each from a genre-spanning spread of local and international artists.

When it comes to the entertainment section, expect updates from streaming platforms, podcast recommendations and a whole range of lifestyle content to help you live your best life.

Design, fashion, galleries and more find a home in Forte’s arts section, with a wealth of news and recommendations.

If your heart lies in your stomach, you’ll love the food section, which delivers the best in everything you can drink and eat.

Forte knows how important regional publications are and is a beacon of resilience in a dire media landscape, empowering local communities through its content.

There’s nothing like the community spirit fostered through seeing your favourite homegrown acts and regional venues featured in a local rag, especially one as modern and vibrant as Forte.

There’s nothing like having a space to advertise what you’re up to, or to find local brands and products to support. And there’s nothing like being able to find content specifically geared to your own home – your town.

Forte gets it, and is an example of celebrating the distinctive nature of regional communities.

From Bendigo to the Bellarine, no matter where you hail from, Forte has a finger on the pulse of your town and is ready to deliver it to you across a range of platforms.

And for us city-slickers looking to feast our eyes on a bit of bucolic charm, there’s no better place to find it than Forte.

Whether it’s music, arts, food, lifestyle, travel, health, entertainment, technology or sports, Forte is bringing you exactly what you want through their unique regional lens.

Visit the Forte website or find them on Facebook or Instagram for all the latest and greatest stories from regional Victoria. 

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