The Weekender: October 6 – 8

Diwali Festival of Lights
Saturday, October 7 – Sunday, October 8 (Sat: 9.00am – 3.00pm, Sun: 9.00am – 4.00pm) | Queen Victoria Market (Corner Elizabeth St & Victoria St)

The annual festival of lights is a huge celebration, celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains all around the world. In Melbourne, you can experience the magic of Diwali by heading down to the Queen Victoria Market for a fun day out.

Expect to see cultural performances all day long, workshops for those who want to learn more and of course, a whole lot of food traders on the day to get your stomachs filled up.

Cultural performances and cuisines from nations such as Fiji, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Bangladesh and more will appear in full force at this year’s Diwali Festival of Lights.

More on the festival can be obtained at the festival’s Facebook event page. 

Mental Health Wellbeing Walk
Sunday, October 8 (8.00am – 10.00am) | Federation Square (Corner of Swanston St & Flinders St)

Join the Mental Health Wellbeing Walk at Federation Square and improve your mental state of mind!

The 4km walk — which will begin from Fed Square, move up along the Yarra and then back — aims to get individuals outdoors in the fresh air for a nice and leisurely walk; a simple activity that can do a whole lot to improve one’s mindfulness. The event coincides with the start of Mental Health Week and will also be presented by Mental Health Foundation Australia!

Registrations for the walk open at 8.00am and will cost you $10 to participate with money going towards a good cause. Participants are asked to wear white or blue t-shirts to represent mental health.

Upon completion of the walk, participants can also stick around for some refreshments and light entertainment in the form of Bollywood dance performance.

More information about the walk can be found at its official event page.

Melbourne Festival
Various times | Various locations

One of Melbourne’s biggest arts festivals returns to the city!

At this year’s Melbourne Festival, see how the creative arts and culture come together to bring about positive change and inspiration in the lives of others. What’s on this weekend at the Melbourne Festival?

Take a voyage through dark and eerie waters with Korean artist Ayoung Kim, whose enigmatic installations will have you explore human and natural history from a different perspective.

Or see the Australian premiere of Please, Continue (Hamlet), a critically praised interactive theatre production that takes the story of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and turns it into a live courtroom with a real judge, real barristers and more playing their part. The best part? The ending is determine by you – the jury.

To see what other events are happening around the Melbourne Festival, check their official website

The Thread Den Market
Sunday, October 8 (10.00am – 4.00pm) | The Atrium (Federation Square, Corner of Swanston St & Flinders St)

What’s a Melbourne weekend without a design market?

Federation Square’s Atrium will become the Thread Den Market on Sunday, giving shoppers a chance to browse through local designers’ wares and take home some unique knick-knacks.

At the Thread Den Market, you can expect to find fashion items, homewares, local food, decoratives, accessories and plenty more! All designs are independently made, ethically produced and made right here from Melbourne creators.

For more on the Thread Den Market, visit its official website

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