GET out of the city for a festival of lights and a tulip festival, check out the Mooncake Festival at Queen Vic or stock up on some spring reading in East Melbourne. Lunnie Gan has you covered this week.
Tesselaar Tulip Festival
Thursday, September 8 – Tuesday, October 4 (10.00am – 6.00pm) | Tesselaar Gardens (357 Monbulk Rd, Silvan)
Photo : via commons.wikimedia.org
This September, be prepared to be mesmerised as the Tesselaar Tulip Festival comes to life with the magic and beauty of blooming tulips. Set across 24 acres in Dandenong Ranges, this festival has become one of Victoria’s major events.
This four week family festival celebrates various themed weekends from now until October 4 (including Turkish, Dutch, Food, Wine and Jazz and Irish themes).
Although the tulips will undoubtedly be the stars of the show, you’ll uncover so much more with the line up of live entertainment and performances, various market stalls and even get the chance to ride a tractor and pick up your own tulips from their own patch!.
So, if you’re looking for a spectacular day out with a bursting field of vibrant tulips, do drop by the Tesselaar Tulip Festival! Concession tickets cost $22 with adult tickets priced at $26.
To find out more about the event, visit their official website.
Dandenong Festival of Lights
Friday, August 26 – Sunday, October 9 (6.00pm – 10.00pm) | Dandenong Showgrounds (Bennet Street, Dandenong)
If you love colour, lights, fun and entertainment, you should definitely not miss this! Dandenong Festival of Lights embraces Chinese culture through its dazzling feature offering of more than 500 amazing silk lanterns.
Following on the huge success of last year’s Festival of Lights, the 2016 show is set to amaze again with vibrant light displays. These light displays reach as high as 8m and 20m wide and come in all shapes and forms, ranging from Chinese Zodiacs, warriors to temples and mythical creatures.
If by any chance you do get bored of the amazing light displays, there will be live performances of lion costume dancing, drumming shows and rotating food vendors throughout the night. Interactive activities such as kung fu and drumming workshops are not to be missed as well! To complement the visual experience, ambient music will be played along the marked three-lined paths.
If you are interested in welcoming Spring with the Dandenong Festival of Lights, check out their official website.
Mooncake Festival at Queen Victoria Market
Sunday, September 11 (9.00 am – 4.00 pm) | Queen St
Photo : Vincent Liang via Flickr
Want a taste of East Asian tradition right here in Melbourne? Celebrate the Mooncake Festival at Queen Victoria Market with symbolic lanterns and mooncakes this Sunday.
Historically, the Mooncake Festival promotes harmony and family unity and has been celebrated for more than 3000 years ago. This year, this festival is an occasion that brings friends and family together through street food stalls, musical and dance performances, lantern dances and even a mooncake eating competition.
If you’re keen to know more, check out their event page on the Queen Victoria Market’s website. Entrance is all free so don’t miss out this chance!
St Peter’s Book Sale & Fair
Saturday, September 10 – Sunday, September 11 (9.00am – 2.00pm) | St Peter’s Church (15 Gisborne St, East Melbourne)
Photo : klimkin via Pixabay
Are you a local book lover? Soak up the tranquil and warm surroundings of St Peter’s Church while stocking up on your spring and summer reading collection this weekend!
This annual St Peter’s Book Sale & Fair boasts of its decent range of books, ranging from contemporary fiction, rare and fine publications to non-fiction.
But the fun doesn’t start and end with books. Have fun exploring the traditional markets and discovering vintage clothing, jewelery and collectibles and even satisfy your cravings with some fairy floss and barista coffee at the fair!
If you’re interested in this event, take a look at their event page on the City of Melbourne’s What’s On page.