The Weekender: January 10 – 12
CATCH a movie or view sand sculptures at the beach, visit a trash and treasure market, or join in the fun at Midsumma’s carnival! Sarah Khazaal tells you what’s on this weekend.
Midsumma Festival
Sunday, January 12 at the Alexandra Gardens (St Kilda Road, Melbourne)
Swing by Alexandra Gardens this Sunday for this year’s Midsumma Carnival! Midsumma is about a celebration of queer culture, and this carnival is exactly what they intended.
What was once a ticketed event has now become so prominent that they have done away with tickets and opened their doors to the public free of charge. The board at Midsumma have described their carnival as an event for all members of the LGBT community to join in, meet one another and experience a fun filled day.
Expecting numbers of around 100,000m, the carnival is composed of 100 Stallholders, 7 hours of entertainment on the mainstage alone, bars, and a Beyond Blue Sporting Precinct – sounds like lots of fun already.
More information can be found on their website, and in our preview story to this year’s Midsumma Festival.
Movies by the Bay
Every Friday in January, Commonwealth Reserve, Williamstown.
Open-air cinemas are all the rage this summer – after all, who doesn’t like to kick back and relax, watch a movie, and bask in the sea breeze?
Good news: Hobsons Bay City Council are throwing free movie nights for the anyone wanting to attend in the month of January. They have organised an open-air cinema by the bay which provides a beautiful setting to watch any film in!
The open-air cinema switches locations between Commonwealth Reserve, Williamstown and Logan Reserve, Altona. This Friday, it will be hosted at the Commonwealth Reserve in Williamstown. The film commences when it’s dark – at around 8.45pm.
The remaining films to be screened this month are Iron Man 3 (this Friday), the Smurfs 2, Red Dog and Turbo. Remember to bring a picnic, rug, or deckchair with you!
The Movies by the Bay website provides their program and locations for every week.
Coburg Trash & Treasure Market
Sunday January 12, 155 Newlands Rd, Coburg
Held at the Coburg Drive Ins, the Trash & Treasure Market on this side of town is an eclectic mix of all things vintage, essential, unique, craft and sometimes down right hipster. The giant bazaar is an outdoor venue that provides a station for anyone who wants to sell pretty much anything.
It is free to set up a stall so you can show up and sell things that you may not want anymore in hopes of securing some extra cash, or spend the morning/afternoon browsing for treasure.
Visiting the market is described as attending several hundred garage sales all at the same time. So if bargain shopping, unique items and re-loving a vast collection of items is something that you are interested in, this may just be the place for you.
Entry is $1.00 per person, a coin donation to the organisers of the Market. It’s also accessible via public transport – the nearest train station is Batman.
The overview of the stalls can be found online.
Sand Sculpting Australia: ‘Storyland’
Until April 27, Frankston Waterfront, 510N Nepean Highway, Frankston
Seeing as our summer is setting in nicely, take advantage of this weekend’s great weather and head to the beach! For four entire months, the Frankston Waterfront has been transformed by 3,500 tonnes of sand. Talented international and Australian artists have shaped the sand to create what is titled Storyland – a world where reality and fantasy combine!
Penguin book titles including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Mr. Men and Little Miss Books, Angry Birds, Postman Pat, Angelina Ballerina, Flower Fairies and so many more are brought to life. This is a chance to see childhood favourites recreated and coming to life on the beach for a day of fun. Plus, use this weekend to go for a swim as well!
Entry costs $10.00 for concession card holders, and $12.50 for adults. Get in early on the weekend as last tickets are sold at 5.30pm.
For more information, head over to Frankston City Council’s website.