All posts filed under: Lifestyle

Melbourne Fringe Festival

Fringe Festival Review: Showga

Reading the bio for this piece, I was expecting to go along and have a good laugh at someone satirically poking fun at the pretentiousness and fake elements of the yoga / wellness industry which at the moment, is so very trendy – and for the most part I did. What I didn’t expect was an hour-long performance which was actually quite insightful – playing on not only the aforementioned pretension and perceived judgement of many so-called wellness “guru’s” but also the hidden undercurrent themes of this genre like low self esteem and hiding one’s own self-loathing by projecting it out onto others… kind of like blowing out someone else’s candle, so yours can shine that little bit brighter. A clever and relatable piece, with plenty of crowd interaction, dressed up in 12 inch glitter platforms, a green two-piece and a feathered headdress reminiscent of of Bollywood-themed Priscilla, Chelsea Evans (aka Chakanunda Vaganunda Chikki Chikki Wa) is one flexible, funny woman. Showga has finished it’s Melbourne Fringe Festival run, with the last show running Sunday evening, 20 September 2015 at the …

Melbourne Fringe

Fringe Festival Review: Torte e Mort: Songs of Cake and Death

The biggest challenge one faces when they go and see a cracking Fringe Festival performance, is how do you talk about the show without actually giving away the best bits? It’s a bit like Fight Club – the number one rule is; you don’t talk about it… Channeling a gorgeous Marie Antoinette, Anya Anastasia, backed by Bec Matthews (aka ‘The Executioner’) on drums, kazoo, saw and more, delivered clever and catchy songs that took us at a rapid and humorous pace through the life, death and hereafter of the infamous French queen – from her hedonistic ‘let them eat cake’ beginnings through to her untimely end and beyond. The performance was rounded out with visits from prominent afterlife figures positioned throughout the show to add deeper, life lessons to the show which were packed with satire, wise-cracking puns and glow-in-the-dark paint. I actually was sort of sad when the show came to an end. If you are a fan of perfectly placed puns, don’t mind a little bit of intellectual humor balanced with gorgeous costumes, …

Vpremium Cinemas

Vpremium is the latest cinema concept to launch in Australia and if you love going to the movies as much as we do, you’re in for a treat. The larger coupled, leather seats are the perfect size for a date night or an extra cosy mate night, and come complete with arm rest, drink holder and table – No more awkward knocking over of drinks onto your movie date! To top off your movie date order a hot meal to eat in the cinema while watching the latest release. With an extensive hot food menu to choose from including pizzas, burgers, nachos and desserts, plus an alcohol list we don’t know how we’re ever going to watch a movie in the regular cinemas again. And in case you’re wandering what the difference is between Gold Class and VPremium is, (we also had to ask), Gold Class Cinemas provide the extra perk of a personal waiter service. Where: Village Cinemas, Jam Factory, South Yarra. Vpremium tickets are priced from $23. Visit the website here.   

Victoriana Pleasure Garden

Be enchanted by the glamorous, stylish and whimsical style of Victoriana’s Pleasure Garden. The year-long project sees the collaboration of  Melbourne fashion photographer Gerard O’Connor and stylist Marc Wasiak​. When: Until 11 September Where: The Conservatory, Fitzroy Gardens Cost: Free  

Tesselaar Tulip Festival

Tesselaar Tulip Festival

Spring has arrived! Smell the fresh scent of over half a million Tulips across 25 acres of farmland at the 62nd Tesselaar Tulip Festival. Just an hour’s drive away, the festival is set on a 55 acres land in Silvan, located in the Dandenong Ranges. This year, they will also announce the unveiling of the worlds biggest clog! Working in conjunction with internationally renowned chainsaw artist, Robbie Bast this will be the world’s largest wooden shoe on record! Along with the beautiful scenery of fields of tulips there will also be various themed days throughout the four-week festival including Turkish, Dutch, Food, Wine & Jazz and Irish weekends. When: 10th September until 6th October, 2015 Where: The Tulip Farm, 357 Monbulk Rd, Silvan, Victoria Visit the website here.  We Know Melbourne tip: Make sure to jump inside the clog and get your photo taken.

Free Disco Yoga at Queen Vic Markets

Disco yoga is coming to Queen Victoria Market! Blending beats with powerful Vinyasa Yoga and freestyle dance, Yoga guru Nickie Hanley introduces DISCO YOGA to Queen Victoria Market. Get your bend and groove on to the uplifting beats of a live house D.J. whilst delving into your inner thoughts. Entry is free and there will be healthy giveaways and free tastings. Mats supplied by Lululemon. Register here. 

Yoga for a Good Cause

Yoga classes are often priced at $20 or more, but this Thursday I joined a wonderful yoga class, for little more than a couple of gold coins. After finishing work and jumping in a lift to the 15th floor of The Swanston Hotel, I hopped into position on a mat, looking out over the city of Melbourne while the sun was just beginning to set – what a view!  Our teacher, Lucienne lead us through a series of (sometimes challenging) postures, breathing, stretches and meditation. I left feeling some soreness in my muscles but totally rejuvenated and knew I would be sure to sleep well that night. It was the absolute perfect way to end the workday and my gold coins went to Mission Australia and I even received a little gift bag filled with herbal teas, bath & body products and a free class pass at the nearby Kaya Health Club, in return for my donation. To find out more about events and news at The Swanston Hotel, Grand Mercure, sign up to their …

Lido cinemas

A Night at Lido Cinemas

Having missed the opportunity to catch Dope at MIFF earlier this month, we have been eagerly awaiting it’s general release in Melbourne cinemas and on Thursday our wait was over. Lido were doing a special screening of it and we jumped to buy tickets.  You may have been to Lido cinemas back in the day if you’re from an older generation, but for us, and what it seems like the whole audience (there was definitely a generation Y thing happening), we never got to experience it in it’s full glory.  Lido Cinemas’ history dates back over 100 years, to when it first opened in 1911, but it hasn’t been a cinema this whole time. Closing down in 1960 to became a dance school, and then a cabaret theatre, the cinema then became an unused building about a decade ago. Upon entering the building, you can still notice a lot of the old fixtures and setup, but it no longer is a dated cinema. Given a fresh new look with lots of bright green couches, lighting projections and an overall modern hipster feel.  …

Top 6 tips for the perfect Hipster Christmas Party

Planning the perfect Christmas Party for a team full of hip, young thangs can be an very tricky business! Making sure you have the right mix of old school nostalgia, modern tech, and a room with beautiful designer decor will ensure you are on track for high fives rather than some serious eye-rolling action come silly season. Check out our Top 6 Tips for the perfect Hipster Christmas Party The Swanston Hotel  Grand Mercure  have everything you need for your office Christmas party. From the dazzling heights of the 15th floor in ON15, to the chic and stylish setting of Louden, all you need to do is call (03) 8662 1341 or email H3028-SB08@accor.comwith a brief and we will create a brilliant, bespoke event that will see you crowned the office Superstar of the silly season.

Melbourne trams

17 Minute Tram Stories

Did you know the average length of a tram ride in Melbourne is 17 minutes? Well, the folks at Yarra Trams knew this fact and decided to do something about it in conjunction with the Melbourne Writers Festival. The result is 17 minute Tram Stories, a series of new writing pieces, from writers that will be attending the Melbourne Writers Festival,which each take about 17 minutes to read. There’s a new story every week from July 24th to August 30th. The first week’s story by Michaela Maguire concerned the nature of time and our perceived lack of it in today’s modern society. It even referenced one of We Know Melbourne’s favourite science experiments; the 1927 “Pitch Test” by Professor Thomas Parnell. Professor Parnell spent nearly 50 years waiting to observe the falling of one of the elusive droplets from a beaker of pitch. The drops only fell about once every 15 years and somehow, despite his vigilance, Professor Parnell managed to miss the falling of every drop during his life. The experiment is still ongoing …