Newsletter | #214 | What's On this Week Newsletter | #214 | What's On this Week

Welcome to this week's Melbourne events, exhibitions, sports and community guide for Tuesday to Monday, February 8 to 14.

This week... the Sustainable Living Festival makes its return to Melbourne with an environmentally friendly bag of events that highlight concerns with global warming and climate change.

There's also the Berwick Highland Gathering offering a day of festivities, dancing and sports that's sure to put a swagger in your sporran, while in Hampton Park you can attend the Teutonia German-Australian Club's Summerfest Extravaganza, which makes very little mention of their own heritage with not so much as an oom to their pah in their program. They do, however, have a great range of activities for children along with market stalls, music and more.

There's a weekend of free outdoor screenings with Blak Nite Cinema showcasing Indigenous films in Treasury Gardens, and for Country lovers, there's the Whittlesea Country Music Festival. We also have what seems to be the last of events to ring in the Chinese New Year with the Glen Waverley Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival ending the recent hoopla surrounding the Year of the Rabbit. And quite timely this week, too... as far as I'm concerned the year hasn't even begun until Media Watch hits the screens again.

A new start to the year works for me also, so I can reset the count of how many bug assaults I've endured as I've encountered MANY while moving house still. According to the Chinese, I can now proudly say there's been but one this year when a bug jumped into my eye and before you could say, 'Oh for the love of God, No!!' I'd already closed my eyelids, enclosing the damn thing like a toddler that dives beneath the sheets when you're trying to make the bed. A fitting analogy too, as it took just as long to get the bugger out.

With Valentine's Day on the way also, be sure to check out our Gift Guide. And for those who are no longer in touch with their inner Amore, there's Go The Tan, where couples can take on Melbourne's famous tan track to at least get hot and sweaty and pretend that there's still that spark.



Major Events
Sustainable Living Festival marks its 12th year with a bigger program of attractions, workshops, seminars and special events held across Melbourne to highlighting this year's theme of achieving a Safe Climate. It features the Big Weekend at Federation Square with performances and more.
When: February 12 to 27
Big Weekend: February 18 to 20


Berwick Highland Gathering is a celebration of Scottish heritage with a Pipe Band Competition, a dog show, vintage car displays, dancing and heavy games including the Caber Toss. Presented by the Rotary Club of Narre Warren, a portion of proceeds made will go towards flood relief.
When: Saturday February 12 - 9am to 5pm


Summerfest Extravaganza, presented by the Teutonia German-Australian Club in Hampton Park, is a weekend-long festival of fun. Free to attend, the event includes a jumping castle, snowcones and story telling along with white elephant sales, dancing, live music, games and much more.
When: Saturday & Sunday, February 12 & 13


Laurimar Town Fair, raising funds for Laurimar Primary School in Doreen, offers a huge day of family fun with live entertainment, a vintage car show, petting zoo, local business displays, market stalls and a tasty international food court. There'll also be show bags, raffles, rides and more.
When: Saturday February 12 - 10am to 6pm


Glen Waverley Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival, taking place in the Kingsway precinct, boasts a wonderful array of Asian food and a unique artistic program with popular highlights include the Cultural Corner, the Lion Dance and a great mix of children's entertainment and rides.
When: Sunday February 13 - 11am to 8pm


St Kilda Festival celebrates its creativity with music performances, workshops, exhibitions, theatre, poetry, outdoor cinema, children's entertainment and more. It's held alongside Yalukit Willam Ngargee Festival, a showcase of Indigenous culture with arts, dancing, music and design.
When: February 5 to 13
Yalukit Willam Ngargee Festival: February 4 to March 9


Film Festivals
Blak Nite Cinema, held at Melbourne's Treasury Gardens, is a free two-night film event that showcases the talents of Indigenous film writers, actors and directors. A unique outdoor cinema experience, it features a wide range of short and feature-length films ranging from drama to comedy.
When: Friday & Saturday, February 11 & 12


Music & Arts Festivals
I Am Typewriter Festival, held at Sticky Institute, located in Melbourne's Degraves Street Subway, is a series of free events that celebrate the humble typewriter machine and its continued relevance to both zines and creative pursuits in general and as objects that have not been bettered.
When: Until February 13


Whittlesea Country Music Festival celebrates country music with talented performers from across Australia. Held at Whittlesea Showgrounds, the festival includes the Victorian and National Country Music Awards, a vibrant street party, kids' entertainment and a truck and ute show.
When: Friday to Sunday, February 11 to 13


Good Vibrations Festival returns with another big day of the best beat-based music when it hits The Nursery of Flemington Racecourse. Now in its 8th year, the line up for 2011 features impressive names that include Faithless, Phoenix, Nas & Damian Marley, Kelis and The Tings Tings.
When: Sunday February 13


Brunswick Beethoven Music Festival, an annual festival that celebrates one of the greatest and most recognisable composers of all time, returns with performances held at Brunswick Town Hall with the renowned musician and classic organist, Sergio de Pieri, acting as Artistic Director.
When: February 3 to 13 - Various Dates


Herring Island Summer Arts Festival offers special exhibitions every weekend at the Herring Island Environmental Sculpture Park in Toorak. Accessible by boat with a punt service, the arts festival includes special artists demonstrations, talks, workshops, activities and more.
When: January 15 to April 26 - Weekends



Valentine's Day
Monday 14th February 2011 
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