All posts tagged: #melbourne

Valentine’s Day in Melbourne

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Suddenly, the post-Christmas bliss of January is over and we find ourselves well into February, and if you are a commercially influenced romantic at heart (like us)…. Valentine’s Day. The pressure mounts every year for some, the need to outdo the previous year, or perhaps impress a new love interest, coupled with the fear of failure and rejection. Never fear, we’ve gathered together a top 5 list of things to do in and around Melbourne this Valentine’s Day (or close enough to..) for those who aren’t smartly already planning to rock out at Guns N Roses that night. 1. Coburg Drive In Food Truck Festival – Fifty Shades Darker The smell of the popcorn, the coziness of the car… the drive-in is a perfect date night, and at the Coburg Drive-In and Food Truck Festival you can also combine that with an insatiable lust for delicious food from all of your favorite Melbourne food trucks like Yo India, Real Burgers, Mamma Van, our pick – Mary Had a Little Lamb, to name a few. On …

Arts Review: Sad Digger Mad Mary

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Digger, a shell-shocked soldier, sent back from the war for reasons which become clearer as the story progresses, lives hermit-style in a gum leaf shanty in the Australian bush with his little mate Bluey (expertly played by a toy dog on a skateboard), trying to escape the war, his personal persecution and memories which haunt him about a man he once loved. Before going into this one-man show, you’d be forgiven for thinking it might just contain some pretty heavy content, but then suddenly, the story takes a colorful, unexpected twist in the way that all fringe theatre productions do. Enter Mary Poppins, a character dreamed up by Digger’s tormented madness, to save him from himself. But a Mary Poppins interpreted as you’ve never seen her before… meaner, nastier, shinier, better, more interesting, hilarious. Through Mary’s tough-love guidance, inter-space and time travel, Digger is able to finally find his true self, and free himself from the shackles imposed by an earlier time, emerging as a strong, proud individual Sad Digger Mad Mary is weird, but …

Women in Film: The Fits

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She Speaks First is a series of film screenings that focus on women. Films made by women, for women to empower women – and in each screening, the audience are then invited to engage in conversations which focus on the female contribution  to the cinema space. This February, She Speaks First brings ‘The Fits‘ to the screen Eleven-year-old tomboy Toni, played by a young, but powerful Royalty Hightower, is entranced by the tight-knit dance team she sees practicing in the same Cincinnati gymnasium where she boxes. Enamored by the power and confidence of the strong community of girls, Toni spends less and less time boxing with her older brother, and instead eagerly absorbs the dance routines and masters drills from a distance, and even pierces her own ears in an effort to fit in. But when a mysterious outbreak of fainting spells plagues the team, Toni’s desire for acceptance becomes more complicated. Gorgeously shot and with a mesmerizing score, THE FITS is a transformative experience and a marvelous portrait of adolescence. (72 min, Unrated). Following this exclusive screening, this the …

Midsumma Review: The Happy Prince

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Many are already familiar with the sweet but sad story of Oscar Wilde’s Happy Prince. A beautifully adorned statue stands high over a city, eyes of sapphires, skin of gold leaf and a ruby in his dagger, saddened by the injustice of life as a poor citizen in a Victorian era. A young swallow, bound for the warmer climate to avoid the impending winter chill is separated from his flock and takes temporary shelter within the golden folds of the Prince’s cloak. The two become inseparable companions and over several nights the Prince teaches the Swallow the meaning of true happiness, all the while the two slowly make the ultimate sacrifice, and join each other in eternity through death. Heavy right? Originally penned as a children’s tale, Little Ones Theatre reimagines this classic tale for the adult audience, turning the traditional male roles into strong female characters who take companionship further into the realms of love between two women. The fresh approach to the original story aligns perfectly with the theatre company’s dedication to pushing …

White Night, bigger, brighter 2017

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February 18 heralds the return of one of Melbourne’s favourite events, White Night. Now in its fifth year year, this celebration of light and art will to transform Melbourne’s major cultural institutions, public spaces, gardens, city streets, landmark buildings and laneways into a glorious display of light, colour and art for twelve hours (7pm to 7am). Make sure you’ve got your comfy steppers on, and a fully charged camera so you don’t miss out on any of this all-night party action featuring performance illuminations, art installations and music all through the CBD, including in and on some of Melbourne’s most iconic spaces like Flinders Street Station, Federation Square, Melbourne Town Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, State Library Victoria, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Museum and ACMI. Some of the ‘must-dos’ that we’ve got marked down, including some gems slightly outside of the always-busy CBD hub include: Purple Rain (Pierre Ardouvin, Lonsdale Street) French article Pierre Ardouve’s visual interpretation of the film of the same name, starring the late great Prince. Previously featured in 2014 White Night, …

Moomba Festival – 2017

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Every March Labour Day long weekend Melbourne comes alive for four colorful days with over a million visitors celebrating all the fun of Moomba Festival. What is Moomba… it’s basically a celebration of everything Melbourne, of diversity, the arts, sports and music kicked off on the Friday and wrapped up on the Monday holiday with a super-cool parade and fireworks. Intense, serious, fun. You can watch world-class watersport competitions along the Yarra, groove to a silent disco, send the kids along to karaoke or a cooking class, head along to an Afro-Brazilian music workshop or take in a local band in the Main Arena… the options are pretty much endless. And the bonus… all the events are free. There are some must-see events which are synonymous with Moomba like: Birdman Rally (Sunday, 12 noon) Basically a bunch of people create fun, bird, plane or otherwise winged costumes and jump off a pier into the Yarra, to raise money for a good cause. Moomba Parade (Monday, 10.30am) Meandering down St Kilda Road, this parade is a celebration of …