All posts filed under: culture

2018 FAIR@SQUARE FESTIVAL

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Moral Fairground returns to Melbourne’s Federation Square with its annual Fair@Square Festival on May 5, 2018. Celebrating all aspects of an ethical, sustainable and morally responsible lifestyle, this festival is shaping up to be the biggest, busiest and best to date. Fashion Conscious fashionistas will enjoy Fair Fashion of the Future, an exhibition highlighting issues arising from the different stages of textile and fashion-supply chains and showcasing design-led solutions from local designers and academics. Garments from local fashion labels and social enterprises are displayed to showcase some of the ethical and sustainable clothing options consumers can now access. Food Of course, no festival is complete without great food and our Cooking Tent program, hosted by the Fair Food Forager, features cooking demonstrations by various ethical food brands, with discussions on issues such living a toxin-free lifestyle, using indigenous ingredients, and how promoting a vegan lifestyle can potentially lessen animal cruelty. Free Events and Workshops You can feed the mind as well as the body by attending some of the many free events and workshops, including …

MICF Review: Daniel Connell “Bit of Shush”

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Daniel Connell’s ‘Bit of Shush’ reaches out to all those who could use a bit more quiet in their lives. Whether you are seeking a break from hoons tearing up the streets, friends foisting foreign gourmet food on you or an increasing tide of political correctness Connell has you covered. Using some good ol’ Aussie self deprecating humour and delightful nostalgia he tackles some serious issues, like his Elon Musk induced existential crisis and Australian attitudes to refugees. If you’re a fan of TLC references and childhood favourite Allen’s Killer Pythons then this is the show for you (maybe not your kids though, it gets a bit bawdy!). A Bit of Shush is a great example of dry observational humour, with ‘No Scrubs’ allowed. 4 1/2 stars Reviewed and written by our guest writer –  Caitlin Carter Where: Melbourne Town Hall, Backstage Room, 100 Swanston Street When: 8:15 or 7:15pm, selected nights until 22 April. For more information and tickets check out the MICF website.

GABS Beer, Cider & Food Fest 2018

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Tasmanian jam, toasted marshmallows, rhubarb, Skittles, ice cream, dates, yuzu, gin, Bertie Beetles and even snails, crickets and oysters. These are just some of the more unusual ingredients you’ll find amongst the many unique ‘Festival Beers & Ciders’ to be served for the first time at the 2018 edition of GABS Beer, Cider & Food Fest presented by Dan Murphy’s, along with more than 500 of the very best craft beers and ciders from around Australia and New Zealand. Renowned as one of the world’s leading beer festivals, GABS (otherwise known as the Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular) brings together the best breweries from Australia and New Zealand for a non-stop celebration of craft beer and cider. Craig Williams, GABS Event Director, describes the festival as the perfect launching point for those keen to try something new in a fun and exciting way. “For us, GABS is about sharing our love of craft beer and cider with as many people as possible through an unforgettable experience. Great beer is about skill, passion, creativity and most of …

Melbourne Russian Festival 2018

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Do-bro po-zha-lo-vat’ or Welcome to the inaugural Melbourne Russian Festival, a celebration of all the richness and diversity of the Russian culture. On 21 April, one of the most iconic places of Melbourne – Tom’s block (Kings Domain), will be turned into a traditional Russian village for a sensational day of delicious food, stunning performances, unique masterclasses concluded with an open-air Russian moonlight cinema. The event not to be missed! Things to do: Live performance The festival comes to life at 10 am when the performances kick off on the central stage. The stage will be filled with cheerful music and stunning performances that will make you want to dance. So, don’t be shy, you are welcome to join the dancers and learn some traditional steps. Masterclasses To heighten your experience and plunge right into the heart of the Russian culture, we encourage you to take part in one of our amazing masterclasses, featuring some of the well-known traditional folk crafts, many of which are centuries old and cannot be found elsewhere. They include: Khokhloma …

MICF Review: Cameron James “Chilled Out/Fired Up”

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We all have those little voices in our heads, those ones that tell you what to do, Cameron James calls his “chilled out” and “fired up” and his new show takes his audience on a little journey through adult life and listening to these voices. Covering a lot of ground effortlessly, with anecdotes, observational and self deprecating humour including being in 30s and witnessing that loosest of loose friend who appears to become the most adulting adult that you know almost overnight (we’ve all been there, right?), observations of men on the dance floor and what it could possibly mean for their ability to dance between the sheets, being part of the last generation where the wooden spoon was an acceptable form of punishment, having that one high school friend that you can’t bear to delete from facebook because every post offers huge potential for trolling, zoology and panda porn, alpha and beta male roles within the friendship group and his budding friendship with a chilled out heart surgeon with life advice for us all. …

MICF Review: G’Day Comrade

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G’Day Comrade answers that age-old(?) question.. ‘what do you get when a Russian bride, a nerdy scientist and a failed rock star walk into a bar?’ The result, a fun evening of Russian stereotype puns, Dostoyevsky references, random dancing and the stand up talent of three Russian comedians with some pretty impressive street cred. Comedians Kaychu Symon, Gosha Bodryi, Gleb Tugushev and special guest Kirill Sietlov all bring their own unique style of observational humour to Comedy Festival goers, applying a quirky, adorably confused Russian perspective to classic Australianisms, and the legal limit of only two Vladimir Putin based jokes. Aside from a couple of jokes that went a little beyond dark humour, the crowd loved this sweetly hilarious show, which offered a nice balance of performance, and audience interaction. On its debut season, G’day Comrade is not a perfectly polished or sophisticated comedy show, but it’s a must-see for those who love simple, self-deprecating humour – with enough sweet warmth to thaw an icy Russian heart on a bitter winters day. Tickets start from …

A fashion exhibition in four parts

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The historic Como House will soon transform into a fashion gallery, showcasing a history of style and design, with the opening of the professionally curated ‘Como Fashion Quarter’ exhibition. The immersive exhibition, commissioned by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria), brings to life the National Trust’s Costume Collection – a unique assortment of everyday clothing and elite fashion spanning the history of European settlement in Victoria. Four prominent Melbourne-based artists, with a distinctive flair and area of expertise, will each design a quarter of Como House for the exhibition, using striking visual interpretations that fuse the past with the present. Marc Wasiak is one of Melbourne’s best art directors and fashion stylists, with a remarkable career which has continued to flourish for over 20 years. He boasts extensive experience in high fashion editorial and has worked with some of Australia’s top fashion houses. Marc said he was thrilled to be working with the National Trust to reimagine its collection in a contemporary setting. Stuart Walford is a freelance fashion stylist who is fast becoming a …

Cluster Truck takes over the Gaso Kitchen

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The Gasometer Hotel – Collingwood’s stalwart local known for its ever amazing line-up of live music – is partnering up with Melbourne’s food truck wranglers  Cluster Truck to bring you a gastronomical treat. Starting on  Wednesday 4th April and over the next 6 months, some of Melbourne’s best food truckers will be taking up residency in the Gaso kitchen and serving up their much loved fare to hungry punters. On the line-up ● April – Senor BBQ ● May – Lil’ Nom Noms ● June – Meat Me Here ● July – Dr Sous ● August – Twisted Fisherman ● September – Pearl of the Quarter “We’re shaking things up and giving the people what they asked for. We’re always dishing up fresh tunes for your ear holes, now we’ve got fresh flavours for your mouth holes.” – Clint Fisher, The Gasometer Hotel “Summer’s over buddies, but your taste buds don’t have to go without your favourite festival hunger busters. Grab a stool, a beer and enjoy the deliciouness from the comfort of the Gaso. You …

Vic Market’s 140-year celebrations

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The 140 Years Street Party on Sunday 29 April 2018 will be a highlight of the year-round celebrations. From 10am–4pm, Melburnians can celebrate everything they love about the Vic Market with a buzzing line-up of food vendors, free kid’s activities and live entertainment. The Vic Market’s Queen Street will come alive with popular children’s entertainment act, The Mik Maks performing on the main stage with ‘Drums the Panda’. Fun will continue for the whole family with a silent disco, flamenco dance performances, stilt walkers, mime characters, face painters, balloon artists and a magician roving the market. Street party-goers will be able to indulge in some of the best street food Melbourne has to offer with both Day and Night Market traders getting in on the birthday celebrations. Participating food vendors include: Drums Café: authentic, gluten-free curries from India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia; Taki’s Balls: hot Greek doughnut balls with your choice of topping: Nutella, salted caramel, cinnamon, or all of the above! George the Fishmonger: fresh market seafood from a Vic Market legend! Gozleme Turkish …

Nocturnal – Friday 6 April, Melbourne Museum

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Melbourne Museum’s commitment to presenting the best live performances continues with the next instalment of Nocturnal.  Don’t miss an evening of infectious house music on Friday 6 April, as Nocturnal joins Waving at Trains to present a triple-treat of Wax’o Paradiso, Harvey Sutherland (DJ set) and DJ JNETT. Sharing their strengths Andy Hart, Simon TK and Edd Fisher aka Wax’o Paradiso, will curate a dance-party-inducing set, travelling through disco, jazz, funk, soul and everything in between.  Regularly hosting events themselves, these guys clearly love what they do with Edd Fisher presenting PBS 106.7FM’s Tomorrow Land, Simon TK running Club d’Errangé and Andy Hart establishing Voyage Recordings.  Harvey Sutherland is a disco producer and keyboard player who will encourage you to lose your groove thanks to a celebration of unapologetic devotion to the dance floor. With critical acclaim, Harvey Sutherland has released numerous projects including Priestess/Bravado with live band Bermuda on his record label Clarity Recordings and appeared at Glastonbury, Dimensions, Splendour In the Grass and Meredith Music Festival. Fresh from supporting the legendary Grace Jones, DJ JNETT (Janette Pitruzzello) is inarguably …