The Weekender: May 19 – 21
Melbourne Tea Festival
Saturday, May 20 (9.00am – 4.00pm) | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (2 Clarendon St, South Wharf)
Move over coffee ’cause tea is here to take over! For one day only, the Melbourne Tea Festival is the place to be for those who love the smell of a warm and satisfying cuppa.
The all-ages festival will take place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and will feature a range of stallholders and workshops to visit. Discover Aboriginal tea by attending the Native Australian Tea Ceremonies workshop, learn how you can create your own home brew at the Blend Your Own Tea workshop or visit featured stallholders including Long’s Tea, The Loose Lips Tea Co and Perfect South.
Elsewhere in the festival, tea lovers can also purchase beautiful teaware from ceramic artists, chill in the Brew Lounge and enjoy a cuppa with fellow enthusiasts or nibble on the artisan food purveyors and food trucks hanging about at the festival.
General admission is $15.90 if you wish to buy tickets online. Entry for children under the age of 12 is free.
For more information on the Melbourne Tea Festival, visit the official website.
Ultimate Frisbee Test Match: Australia vs. Japan
Sunday, May 21 (11.30am – 2.00pm) | Punt Road Oval, Richmond
Before Japan and Australia compete in the World Games in Poland, Australia and Japan’s national mixed ultimate frisbee team will be competing against each other in a test match this weekend at Yarra Park.
This Sunday’s test match will be the first ever ultimate frisbee test match anywhere in the world and is sure to be a hotly contested game between the premier teams of this sport (Australia is ranked number two in the world while Japan follows closely as the third best in the world at this sport).
Tickets to the event can be purchased at the test match’s Eventbrite page. For more information on this Sunday’s clash between Japan and Australia, visit the game’s official website.
Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival
Saturday, May 20 – Sunday, May 21 (10.00am start on both days) | Federation Square (Corner Swanston & Flinders St, Melbourne)
The free annual Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival returns to Federation Square this weekend and celebrates the birthday of Buddha and the diversity of people within the religion.
Now in its 22nd year, visitors can expect almost 30 events and activities including live entertainment, unique tea meditations, baby blessings, the world peace ceremony and the ever-popular Taste of Asia vegetarian food fair.
This year’s theme focuses on ‘Consensus and Openness’ so visitors are also encouraged to embrace the social and community cohesion found at the festival and celebrate harmony and freedom without discrimination.
Entry to the festival is FREE to visitors.
For more on Buddha’s Day & Multicultural Festival, visit the official website.
Emerge in the West
Saturday, May 20 (12.30pm – 7.30pm) | Nicholson St, Footscray
The seventh edition of Emerge in the West will be taking place this Saturday in Footscray in what is sure to be an exciting day full of community engagement and arts appreciation.
Organised by Multicultural Arts Victoria and the City of Maribyrnong, this free street festival will encompass a range of entertainment that explores the diverse emerging voices within local arts. Expect live music, contemporary and traditional dance, community programs, global fashion, pool competitions, workshops and artistic collaborations all at Emerge in the West!
Celebrate individuals and groups in the African and Vietnamese arts scene like Nhatty Man & Gara, a houeshold name in Ethiopia and one of the most energetic acts to hit Australian stages, or Sonik Waves, a Mauritian cultural band based in Melbourne that perform Island Styles music such as reggae, calypso, maloya and more.
To find out more about incredible talent emerging from this community, check out Emerge in the West’s website.