IMMERSE yourself at the Diversitat Pako Festa, enjoy free open air orchestra at the Symphony Under the Stars, get into the groove at the Sydney Road Street Party or indulge in some international food at the Dandenong Market World Fair. Daniel Driscoll has you covered this weekend.
Diversitat Pako Festa
Saturday, February 28 (12.00pm – 6.00pm); (153 Pakington St, Geelong West)
Head to Geelong for Diversitat Pako Festa, the largest free celebration of cultural diversity in Australia!
The festival will be a gathering of Geelong’s local and cultural communities, along with plenty other visitors from all across Melbourne.
Revel in a wonderful array of professional performers, street traders and music from the many cultures in Geelong as part of this huge celebration.
Also on offer in this exciting day of non-stop entertainment is a smorgasbord of cultural food, workshops, art exhibitions, craft displays and the unmissable Pako Parade.
For more information on the event or to learn how to get there, head to the Pako Festa’s official website.
Symphony Under the Stars
Saturday, February 28 (7.00pm – 9.00pm); Malvern Gardens (1251 High St, Malvern)
Head to the Malvern Gardens this weekend to catch Symphony Under the Stars – a free orchestra out in the open air!
Conducted by Simon Thew, the orchestra will feature Australian indie favourites The Blackeyed Susans and the renowned singer-songwriter Rob Snarski. The two will be performing alongside the celebrated community orchestra, Stonnington Symphony.
With great music on offer, all you need to do now is grab your friends, a picnic rug and some munchies, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a great night out!
To find out more about the event, head to the The City of Stonnington’s website.
Sydney Road Street Party
Sunday, March 1 (12.00pm – 7.00pm); (Sydney Rd, Brunswick)
The annual Sydney Road Street Party is back! Visitors are cordially invited to enjoy this free all-day get-together, which also coincides with the launch of Brunswick Music Festival.
The party – which stretches 800 metres between Union Street and Victoria Street – will offer a huge line-up of live folk, roots and blues music across ten stages.
What’s more, you can also watch dance performances from different cultures, get entertained by performers from the Westside Circus on an aerial rig, or marvel at the sight of stilt walkers wandering the street.
There’ll be plenty of food to try with local restaurants and cafes serving delicious meal all day and who knows, you might even find something to take home at one of the many craft stalls.
The Street Party will only run for one day, but the Brunswick Music Festival will be on until March 12.
Curious to find out more about the festival’s program? Head to the event’s official website.
Dandenong Market World Fare
Sunday, March 1 (10.00am – 7.00pm); Dandenong Market (Cnr Clow and Cleeland St, Dandenong)
Get down to the Dandenong Market World Fare to enjoy a day of food, fun and music!
The pop-up food festival will present a huge variety of international street foods from more than 30 food and beverage vendors as well as market traders on site.
The huge variety of food means adventurous foodies will find something new to try out. With vendors including Frencheese which serves fondue cheese, Banjo’s BBQ which offers game meat including kangaroo, crocodile and camel and Street Feast which plates up some great American Soul Food, your tastebuds will be in seventh heaven after a day-long tasting of some of the world’s finest food.
For those who are keen on learning new tips and tricks in the kitchen, there will be cooking demonstrations led by the market’s resident chef, Russell Bald.
You’ll also be able to catch some live music on the day with a variety of world music including Bollywood, gypsy sounds inspired by Eastern Europe and more.
Visit the Dandenong Market’s website to check out what else is on!