Newsletter | #101 | What's On this Week Newsletter | #101 | What's On this Week

Welcome to this week's Melbourne events, exhibitions, sports and community guide for December 8 - December 14, 2008.

This week.. there's Yule-time cheer a'plenty with the best and brightest of all Christmas attractions, The Boulevard Lights in Ivanhoe holding their launch with a night of carols and entertainment. There's also a night of carols at Docklands with very special guests including Tripod, and Melbourne Skydeck will be holding a Family Day with plenty of activities for the kids.

Meanwhile, if you're already Christmased out and feeling a little Grinchy, pack a hamper and take a break from all the tinsel with the Moonlight Cinema, opening this week. There's also the South Melbourne Youth Festival, offering a day of music and fun as part of the launch of Kool Skools new CD. It's that one lonely, little special event down there that has nothing to do with Christmas...

There are sport details, special dining offers and info on upcoming events and highlights in beautiful Melbourne, so read on and enjoy!

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Christmas Events
Christmas Events in Melbourne - Christmas is on its way, but why wait when there's plenty of fun to be had all through December? With a wide range of events and activities held in Melbourne and Victoria, get in early and treat the kids to some of the fabulous events on offer. There are many events that are free and you'll find them in jolly old Melbourne. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Christmas Events Guide for Melbourne


Melbourne Skydeck Christmas Family Day - This Sunday, head along (and up) to Melbourne Skydeck for an Aussie Christmas, featuring face painting, a magician, clown, Christmas band and heaps of entertainment for the whole family. There'll also be very special appearances and giveaways by Santa from 11am to 4pm. Children will be admitted free on the day. Advent Calendar @ Fed Square - Celebrate the spirit of Christmas as the East Shard at Federation Square is transformed into a magical Advent Calendar - 24 days, 25 windows, 25 performances! Talented aerialists will perform before a magical animation, unveiling each day's window on the side of a three-storey building with a free performance at 9pm every night.


Christmas Lights | Melbourne's BEST - With Christmas all but here, find the best Christmas light displays are in Melbourne. Our list continues on from last year, with a handy little asterisk marking confirmed displays for 2008. To confirm your Christmas Light display (yes, its free) you can also tell us through the Contact Us button on the Christmas Lights Guide.


Monkami Christmas Trees - Monkami Centre will be selling their homegrown Christmas trees until December 22nd, available daily from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm and on weekends. All proceeds will help the organisation to support adults with an intellectual disability. The Monkami Shop, located in Croydon, also sells homemade preserves and craft goods.



School Holiday Guide
 Check out our View School Holiday Guide



New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve - The year's almost been and gone already, and hasn't it snuck up quickly! With New years on the way, everyone get outs for Melbourne's biggest night of the year, so here is our guide how to count down the New Year into 2009..
New Year's Eve Planning Guide
What's On in Melbourne - New Year's Eve



Major Events Guide
The South Melbourne Youth Festival, taking place this Friday at the Sol Green Recreation Centre is a Youth Celebration that will also be held to launch the 2008 CD of Kool Skools, an exciting Recording and Multimedia Project for secondary level students. The event begins at 8pm and is free to attend with live music food, rides and activities.



Upcoming Events
Grogger, a variation of the Arcade classic, Frogger, is a free online game that highlights the need for responsible drinking by challenging players must get themselves and their friends home safely. Play the game now online, or better yet, come along to Fed Square next Friday at 5pm to see gamers battle it out on the big screen! With music, giveaways and more the event is free. NEW LIVE CALENDAR
To find out about future events in Melbourne, have a look at our new calendar, with details about many more events that lie ahead, including Exhibitions, Gigs, Markets, Expos and more..
View Future Events on any day of the week
(An avalanche of Chrissy Carollers notwithstanding!)



Exhibitions - Art | Festival | Show
Hocus Pocus - Science and physics become mere playthings as the world of magic, with all its baroque, buoyant charm, comes to City Museum. Proving that magic is in Melbourne's blood, the exhibition shows how our city has radiated with wonder and possibility since its streets were first paved with gold, featuring souvenirs, tools, artworks and more dating back to the 1850s.


The Siemens RMIT Fine Art exhibition is currently showing at RMIT Gallery in Swanston Street, running until this Saturday. Now in its eighth year, the prestigious Siemens - RMIT Fine Art Scholarship enables students to further their careers in the field of Fine Arts by assisting with research and production costs, offering valuable scholarships to eight students. Views from a Speeding Train features new paintings by Amanda van Gils including paintings recently selected for the Fluerieu Art Prize, The Tattersall's Club Landscape Art Prize, The John Leslie Art Prize and The Mosman Art Prize. Running until next Sunday, the exhibition of work can be seen at the Jenny Port Gallery, located in Richmond. Neuropsychosis, on show until this Wednesday, is an exhibition by Karl Persson, a renowned artist whose flawless work and talent is both envied and admired by artists and collectors alike. Held at the Gallery 696 in Brunswick, the exhibition features the newest range of Persson's paintings that display an eerie and dreamlike quality woven with his own personal symbolism. Neil Osborne, a photographer Based in Yarra's Edge of Docklands, is now holding an exhibition of his work including fantastic landscapes, lifestyle and architecture photography. Held at Dukes Gallery in Docklands, it features large prints on art paper that display beautiful images from Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, and grand old Melbourne. The exhibition ends this week.


Greenhouse by Joost is an Australian first in self-sustaining planning with this temporary event venue, currently open at Federation Square. Made entirely from recycled materials, Joost's Greenhouse will run until January and will be open daily as a gallery, cafe and social hub, while at night the unique venue will transform to become a vibrant hub to entertain the public.


Expos, Launches & Open Days
Plushies Go Wild - Melbourne Flash mob is a local group that holds flash-mobbing events where the public gathers to stage a fun impromptu scene. This Sunday they're inviting people to treat their toys to a day out by bringing along dolls, figurines, plushies and stuffed toys to follow Pooh Bear in a parade. By signing up with the Facebook Group you'll be sent the time and location.


Performances & Theatre
The Santaland Diaries, starring Melbourne's own improv, comedy legend Russell Fletcher, is a stage adaptation of David Sedaris' hilarious and bizarre account of the year he took a temp job as an elf at Macy's in New York. Already an 'anti-holiday' cult-classic overseas, it begins Wednesday at the Auspicious Arts Incubator in Southbank, running until December 21. Billy Elliot the Musical opens this Saturday at Her Majesty's Theatre. Based on the cult film, the stage production features music by Elton John and follows the journey of a young boy in a small mining town who stumbles across a ballet class while on his way to a boxing lesson, and realises that his future lies not in the boxing ring, as his father hoped, but on stage as a dancer.


The Hypocrite, performed by Melbourne Theatre Company, is a variation of Moliere's classic play, Tartuffe. Written by Justin Fleming and featuring Sara Gleeson and Kim Gyngell, it's playing at The Arts Centre until this Saturday. Molière's 1664 play is still rife with contemporary relevance, because the religious hucksterism and bigotry it satirises is always with us. Joy to the World is a Christmas Concert presented by the Frankston Music Society, offering a feast of beautiful music with the Mornington Peninsula Chorale including music from Bach's Christmas Oratorio, carols old and new, Bach Double Violin Concerto and much more. The concert will be held this Thursday at the Peninsula Community Theatre in Mornington.


Christmas to Candlemas, performed by Ensemble Gombert, features a selection of vespers music from Claudio Monteverdi's large 1640 compilation. Ensemble Gombert is Melbourne's outstanding chamber choir, noted for its pure intonation and historic approach to choral sound and style. The special concert will be held Saturday at Kew's Xavier College Chapel.


Entertainment & Nightlife
A Miracle In a Month | Benefit Spectacular - Be part of the challenge to raise $220,000 by Christmas to support the Hamlin Fistula Hospital. 25Women will be hosting the special event this Tuesday evening at the Precinct Hotel in Richmond. The night includes world music beats, comedians and international dance performances with Elegua, Melbourne's Samba sensations! Fast Impressions will be holding their annual Christmas Party this Friday where you can join Australia's hottest singles - the nice and the naughty - as you enjoy music from a live DJ and can even get your photo taken with Santa! The event is held for single Girls and Guys aged between 21 and 39 and will take place at White Charlie, located on Chapel Street in Prahran.


Stocking Stuffer, Turkey Plucker, held at the The Butterfly Club in South Melbourne, is the Christmas cabaret show of Aunty Mavis, who has made a list of what was hot and not so hot and is ready to take Rudolf by the antlers and fly through the year that was. With dancing elves, camp humour, songs and tap numbers, shows run from Thursday to Sunday.


The Christmas Standup Spectacular, presented by The Last Laugh at The Comedy Club, is a night of Yule-time laughs that features comedians Chris Franklin, Lawrence Mooney and Fox Klein, with exclusive special guests. Sit back with dinner and drinks and laugh all the way to Xmas. Shows are held Thursday to Saturday at their new venue of the Athenaeum Theatre.

Live Music Guide Melbourne Venues and Gig guide.


Melbourne For Kids
Circus Sunrise Spectacular is an action-packed show for all the family, currently showing at Water Front City, located under the Southern Star Ferris Wheel. With shows running until Sunday, the circus will follow on with the stunning show by presenting a special Holiday Spectacular that will run until January. Circus Sunrise is a true family circus with lineage going back to 1648!


Puzzles & Competitions
Spot The Difference
There are 5 Differences between these two pictures of the City Museum at Old Treasury... See if you can spot them! Sign up for answers revealed in Next Week's Newsletter

 
Last week's answers are further down with Melbourne Trivia
More about City Museum | Learn More about Melbourne!


Competitions
Menulog, one of the easiest ways to book a restaurant online or order home delivery, is offering the chance for you to win a trip for 2 to Hayman Island where you can have a romantic getaway in a beautiful setting.

For a chance to win this fantastic prize all you need to do is simply visit Menulog before December 15th and do any of the following...Order food online
Book a restaurant
Review a restaurantThe more orders, bookings and reviews you make, the greater your chance of winning. By booking through Menulog you can get great discounts for food bills and more, so you're already a winner!


Community
Dynamic Drawing Classes, held by Ron Curran, can help you discover your creative identity and find your power through drawing. Classes take place every week on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings, held at Brunswick Street Gallery. Classes cost $18, with no need to book, and each class includes a model, music and facilitation provided on the day.


You Can Help
There are many social causes that are relevant to people from all walks of life, many of which rely on public support to better the community or assist those who are less fortunate or to benefit others. This week we ask you to consider the following..

The Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal is Australia's largest Christmas gift appeal. The Wishing Tree supports some of Australia's largest welfare organisations and Trees can be found nationally in Kmart stores, with gifts collected up until Christmas Eve. The Kmart Wishing Tree has given more than 4.14 million gifts over the past 20 years and supports some of the nations largest charities.


Markets, Fetes and Fairs
A Mini Christmas Fair Exhibition continues this week, presented by the Handweavers & Spinners Guild of Victoria. Running until Saturday, the Guild rooms in Carlton North are open from 10am to 3pm from Tuesday to Saturday. With many great gift ideas in one location, the exhibition features a wide range of items including Christmas ornaments, cards, stockings and toys.


NEW LIVE CALENDAR
View MARKETS on any day of the week to make the most of the rare sunny days (it's a coin toss lately, isn't it!) and head to one of Melbourne's many excellent markets, fetes and fairs for a bargain!

A growing number of food, produce and even wine markets are always popping up around the suburbs. And don't forget garage sales!
Fetes Fairs & Shows
Art & Craft Markets
Food & Produce Markets
Swap Meets
Garage Sales


OnlyMelbourne Welcomes..
Each week we highlight five of the latest additions to OnlyMelbourne's ever growing guide to services, businesses and information sites for your community.

To find out how you can join Melbourne's largest online community Visit Here!

This week we suggest the following:
GreekCentral - Online guide to Greek entertainment...
Tidy Books - Customised administrative systems...
Speed Skaterz - Inline speed skating lessons & club...
Blinds Online - Custom made blinds home-delivered...
Wriggle It - Indoor Playcentre with cafe, jumping castle & more...View More of the Latest Listings at OnlyMelbourne!

Advertising your Business or Event at OnlyMelbourne is not only easy, but best of all it's FREE!! - Get Listed.. - don't forget to tell your friends!


Sporting Events
Dancesports
Melbourne Tigers Home Game - Melbourne's own two teams go head to head this week, competing in the NBL Championships.
Melbourne Tigers vs South Dragons
Saturday 13 December
Game starts at 7:30pm
State Netball & Hockey Centre, Parkville


Dining & Drink
Wining
Cleanskins.com sell premium Australian wines direct to the public at up to 50% off retail prices, offering Free Home Delivery and a 100% Money Back Guarantee. Perfect for all lovers of wine, their impressive range of wines and service were recommended on Channel 7's Today Tonight and Channel 9's A Current Affair.
Visit Cleanskins.com


Special Dining Offers
Visit Here For The Latest Deals With Menulog!! The Groove Train is the perfect mix of up-tempo trendy and relaxed retro, offering daily specials on bustling Clarendon Street.
SPECIAL DINING OFFER!!
Book Through Menulog and receive 25% off your Total Bill when you dine at Groove Train! (Max Value $25)
Visit here for BOOKING DETAILS @ Menulog

Offer ends December 31 so be sure to Book Early!


Dining in Melbourne offers a splendid range of food styles to enjoy. Here are just a few classic food styles to choose from..

Modern Australian Cuisine
Chinese Restaurants
Italian Restaurants
Seafood Restaurants
French Restaurants
More Restaurants at onlyMelbourne's Dining Directory


Dining In
Menulog Home Delivery is a great chance to eat fine cuisine at home! With over 300 of the best restaurants on offer, you're sure to find something to suit any taste or occasion.

To find fast and easy delivery in your area, Visit Here


Melbourne Tours
Smartvisit Card is the best way to see the sights of Melbourne, whether you're visiting Melbourne for business, a vacation, or even if you're a local wanting to find Melbourne's hidden treasures!

The Smartvisit Card includes entry to attractions such as Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne Aquarium, Old Melbourne Gaol, Telstra Dome, Cook's Cottage, Melbourne River Cruises, and many more of Melbourne's TOP venues!

Free entry to over 60 top attractions..
Visit great venues like Zoos, museums & more across Melbourne & Victoria!
Over $800 of entry fees for ONE low price..
Plus special offers & discounts!
Visit just 2 Attractions a day & you'll save!
FREE 128 page guidebook..
Tailored to local knowledge on what to see & do!
Cash free entry..
Show your card & you're in, no need for cash!
All year-round Attractions..
Whatever time of year you visit - rain or shine!


Learn more about Smartvisit Card


Last Week's Puzzle Answers
Spot The Difference
Here are the 5 Differences in last week's picture of the National Sports Museum...
 
Newsletter | #100 | What's On this Week [Last Week]


Melbourne Trivia
It's A Long Way To The Top.. Possums!
Melbourne's love affair with its laneways is displayed no better than in the naming of two well known laneways, ACDC Lane - renamed in memory of one of Australia's most successful musical exports, and Dame Edna Place which was crowded with interested lunchtime "possums"for the launch on March 08, 2007.

Among the many other names of Melbourne's laneways are the colourfully titled, Exploration Lane, and for the romantic at heart Melbourne also plays host to Romeo Alley and Juliet Alley.

Read more about Melbourne Laneways | Read Melbourne Trivia...

WHAT'S ON CALENDAR
Speaking of what's on, our new calendar allows you to select any day of the year to view everything (everything!!!) on that day in an easy to read, printable display.
-:- View What's On Calendar
-:- View Markets Only Calendar

WHAT'S ON FEEDS
For those with newsfeeds, we now have a daily What's On Melbourne Today feed. 
➼ www.onlymelbourne.com.au

➼ Events Calendar - Find out Whats On any day of the week!



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