KICK off holiday season with everything festive that Melbourne has to offer this weekend! A LEGO Christmas tree and Markit arts and crafts fair at Fed Square, a KitKat Studio at Melbourne Central and the Japanese Film Festival 2015 – you really couldn’t ask for more fun. Allan Tanoemarga has more.
Christmas at Fed Square
Friday, November 27 – Sunday, December 27 | Federation Square, Melbourne
With Christmas less than a month away, Melbourne’s major cultural hub – Federation Square – is opening up its grounds to a plethora of FREE fun-filled Christmas activities starting this weekend!
What better way to get into the festive season than by visiting the 10 metre-tall LEGO Christmas tree and seeing it come to life. Built by LEGO Master Builder Chris Steininger and his family, the tree will present a magical light-show that’s set to dazzle everyday and will be accompanied by your favourite Christmas carols.
The Square’s book market will also hold a special event on the Saturday, with illustrations from Anna Walker and Jane Godwin‘s Christmas picture book – What Do You Wish For? – to be projected live onto The Atrium Screen. You can also pick-up a range of new and pre-loved titles during the event, which would definitely make great Christmas gifts.
Fancy some more free entertainment? Make sure you check out the full Christmas program at Fed Square’s official website.
Markit@FedSquare
Sunday, November 29 (10.00am – 5.00pm) | The Atrium and Deakin Edge Theatre (Federation Square, Melbourne)
While you’re at Fed Square wondering how long it would take to build that giant LEGO Christmas tree, why not hit two birds with one stone and do some Christmas shopping too?
Markit@FedSquare returns for the second time this year after a successful outing in May, selling top-notch independently designed products ranging from jewellery and clothing to stationery and artworks – more than ever before. Note that most of these products are one-off, that is they aren’t readily available elsewhere. If you’re looking for unique Christmas gifts to surprise your friends and beloved ones, this could be the place!
Another selling point of this market is that you can actually talk to designers in person about their products. And who knows — maybe some of them can offer you custom designs that suit your likings better!
If you’re curious on what kind of products are available at this fabulous market, go check the designers’ list at Markit’s official website.
KITKAT Studio
Tuesday, November 24 – January 7, 2016 | Melbourne Central – Ground Floor
You read that right. Celebrating 80 years of “break-time”, KitKat is opening up a studio in town where you can make your very own, personalised KitKat. You read that right again.
Combine everything you want, from your favourite flavours, crunchy bits to colours at the studio and let your imagination run wild. No one is going to stop you, apart from the other hundreds of customers in line as this event is sure to be jam-packed.
Not strong on the creative side? Don’t worry, there’s also an option where you can simply buy special edition bars with tastes as mouth-watering as you can imagine. The exact flavours for this exclusive bars are currently still kept secret, so you’re just going to have to visit the premise to find out!
Keep yourself up-to-date with what the event has to offer by checking out the Studio’s official Facebook event page.
2015 Japanese Film Festival
Thursday, November 26 – Sunday, December 6 | ACMI Cinemas at Federation Square and Hoyts Melbourne Central, Melbourne
Looking for something different to watch other than the new Hunger Games and 007? You’re in for a treat as the much anticipated Japanese Film Festival is starting this week, offering more than 40 movies with varying genres to enjoy!
Fans of the animated cult classic Ghost in the Shell will not want to miss out the franchise’s latest New Movie, while avid manga readers should definitely check out BAKUMAN, a film about the struggles of Japanese manga artists. Additionally, plenty of coming-of-age dramas and comedies are also on offer for viewers of all ages.
For those unfamiliar with these foreign titles, there’s no need to panic – we have provided you with a handy infographic guide on what to see in one of our earlier posts. The festival’s full program is also available at the Japanese Film Festival’s official website for you to check out more thoroughly.
Tickets for each screening will cost you $18.50, or $15.50 if you have valid concession cards. More details about the film festival can be found on its official website.