Newsletter | #241 | What's On this Week Newsletter | #241 | What's On this Week

Welcome to this week's Melbourne events, exhibitions, sports and community guide for Tuesday to Monday, August 16 to 22.

This week... Those belated festivals I mentioned several weeks ago - the ones that hightailed it for later pastures on August's calendar - have reared up with all the vigour and verve of the cussing you'd hear if Samuel L Jackson stubbed his toe. And believe me, that's a lot of verve.

For you crazed, misguided folk who just can't get enough of the cold, there's the Winter Festival at Royal Exhibition Building with its enormous ice skating rink. Those who are counting the days until summer, however, can get into the mood by donning some enormous sunglasses in the spirit of the Elvis Tribute Festival, bringing forth a Vegas of impersonators to Docklands. Vegas is the plural term for Elvis impersonators, for those wondering.

Meanwhile, the cinephiles have hit the mother lode this week with an impressive five film festivals to choose from. With films being showcased from Russia, Indonesia and New Zealand, the sober art-house scene also gets a good smack in the face and a cigarette flicked at its shoes by the Vinnie Barbarino of film festivals, Melbourne Underground Film Festival.



Major Events
Melbourne Winter Festival, held outside the Royal Exhibition Building, offers the joys of an authentic European winter with spectacular free ice skating performances held each weekend, a showcase of foods and drinks, a huge outdoor ice skating rink and many more attractions.
When: August 18 to September 5


Elvis Tribute Festival Melbourne will see Multiple Elvises swing their hips into Docklands, including Melbourne's own impersonator Mark Andrews, ranked third in the world. The festival also features a classic car and bike show, Elvis exhibitions, competitions, karaoke and more.
When: Friday to Sunday, August 19 to 21


Freeplay Independent Games Festival, held at the State Library of Victoria, explores the creative, artistic side of games and digital culture with this year's theme of 'Handmade' showcasing locally developed indie games with lectures, workshops and free game and art displays.
When: Saturday & Sunday, August 20 & 21


Camellia Festival, a winter flower festival held at Mount Waverley Community Centre, showcases the vibrant Camellias now in bloom with Camellias Victoria's show featuring floral art and the efforts of members who'll be competing in the Victorian Camellia Championships.
When: Saturday & Sunday, August 20 & 21


Mallee Almond Blossom Festival is a chance to see the vibrant blossoms of Kyndalyn Park, Australia's largest almond orchard. Also held to showcase the products, people and art of the Mallee District, the festival features activities for children, fair rides, food, music and fun.
When: Sunday August 21


National Science Week raises awareness of science and education with a series of fun, unique and quirky displays and events held at various venues throughout Victoria and Melbourne including Scienceworks and Melbourne Museum with competitions, exhibits and more.
When: August 13 to 21


Victoria's Small Business Festival, with this year's theme of 'Add One More Skill', holds a great range of events that highlight the benefits of practical knowledge and skills with seminars, workshops, exhibitions and more held at various venues in Victoria and Melbourne.
When: Held throughout August


Music & Arts Festivals
Craft Cubed, presented by Craft Victoria, is a festival that showcases experimental, skilled and ideas-based craft and design. With this year's theme of HYBRID exploring fluidity of design experimentation, the program features exhibitions, workshops, seminars, markets and much more.
When: Until September 3 - Various Venues


MUDfest, once a drama festival and now one of the biggest arts and culture festivals in Australia, sees the University of Melbourne plays host to a vibrant program that showcases art exhibitions and installations, musical performances and theatre, poetry workshops and more.
When: August 18 to 28


Troubadour Weekend Music Festival, held in Kyneton, recaptures the spirit and heyday of two of Melbourne's greatest folk venues, Brunswick Street's Troubadour and Greville Street's Continental, with three days of music from guests that include The Amazing Rhythm Aces.
When: Friday to Sunday, August 19 to 21


Ballarat Foto Biennale, the southern hemisphere's largest photography event, offers a program that showcases the best photography from across Australia and the world with exhibitions of work by artists from China, Poland and other countries, displayed in many venues in Ballarat.
When: August 20 to September 18


Handmade Music Festival (Hmm...) takes place at various venues in Melbourne with a program that celebrates the art of handmade contemporary instrument building and design. Along with performances and installations, the festival features talks and skill sharing workshops.
When: August 9 to 28


Beethoven Festival offers a rare musical experience with a program of all nine Beethoven symphonies performed by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Douglas Boyd at Melbourne Town Hall. The festival also features talks, workshops and special free events.
When: August 6 to 22


Film Festivals
Melbourne Underground Film Festival, a festival that's proudly far from the norm, returns this year with screenings held at st kilda memo and St Kilda's Dog's Bar Arts Hub. Celebrating uncompromising genre films, the program includes seminars and workshops with MUFF Academy.
When: August 19 to 27


Bayside Film Festival, held at Brighton Bay's Palace Cinema, premiers a collection of specially selected films that are both quirky and unique. Along with workshops, the festival also showcases impressive films from emerging filmmaker programs such as the Youth Documentary Project.
When: Wednesday to Sunday, August 17 to 20


Russian Resurrection Film Festival, now in its eighth year, is the largest event of its kind outside of Russia itself. Showcasing the best of Russian cinema from this year and last, a diverse program of films will be shown at Melbourne's Palace Cinema Como and Palace Cinema Balwyn.
When: August 18 to 28


Indonesian Film Festival offers a range of special events and screenings held at ACMI Cinemas in Federation Square, showcasing the best of Indonesian cinema. Now in its 6th year, the festival features a diverse program, ranging from major motion pictures to classic art house.
When: August 19 to 25


KEA Festival of Kiwi Short Films, screening for one night only at Melbourne's Capitol Theatre, showcases films in bite size portions that reveal the heart and humour behind New Zealand's world-class cinema. Guests also receive a goodie bag, filled with a selection of gifts.
When: Friday August 19 - Bookings Essential


OnlyMelbourne Welcomes
Each week we highlight some of the new business and event listings in the OnlyMelbourne Events Calendar and Business and Services directory.

21st Century Financial Education Summit, held at Melbourne's Hisense Arena, can help you take control over your life, career and business and learn from over a dozen of the world's most successful entrepreneurs and educators, including Virgin Group's founder, Sir Richard Branson.
When: Friday & Saturday, October 21 & 22


Exhibitions - Art | Festival | Show
HELM2, presented by Funbeard Studios, the brainchild of Victorian artist Benjamin F Guy, is an exhibition of quirky portraits in oil on canvas and wood. Held at Collingwood Gallery, the captivating works feature children wearing oversized, iconic helmets from cinema and games.
When: August 19 to September 1
Official Opening: Friday August 19 - 6pm


Emerge 2011, The Geelong Regional Artists' Exhibition, showcases the extraordinary local artistic talent with a presentation held at The Gordon Gallery. Now in its ninth year, exhibition also provides artists the opportunity to further develop their profile and artistic careers.
When: August 17 to September 2


Michael Needham, an artist who works in drawing and sculptural installation, will exhibit at Melbourne's Daine Singer Gallery. Titled, 'The intolerable other that I crave to destroy so as better to possess it alive', his collected works explore relationships between representation and death.
When: Until September 3 - Wednesdays to Saturdays


Paintings of Poise and Passion, presented at TarraWarra Museum of Art in Healesville, is an exhibition of works by Sandra Leveson. A critically-acclaimed contributor to abstract painting during the 1970s, Leveson's paintings blend her unique style with misty and turbulent landscapes.
When: Until October 2 - Closed Mondays


Statement Pieces, showing at James Makin Gallery in Collingwood, is an exhibition of self-referential text-based artworks by Kristin McIver, a Melbourne based emerging artist whose neon artworks cleverly meaning and intention behind the normal constructs of media and advertising.
When: Until August 27 - Tuesdays to Saturdays


humming wire, one of three exhibitions held at Fitzroy North's red gallery, is an exhibition of works by Kim Wall, a trained printmaker at RMIT. Her reduction lino cuts explore her fascination with the curves and bumps of the human form and her particular fondness for legs.
When: August 17 to September 3 - Wednesdays to Saturdays


Opus Artist Book Exhibition, held at Artisan Books in Fitzroy, is an annual presentation of artist made books with this year's theme of 'Opus' having inspired a diverse range of works by talented book artists from across Australia, as well as a selection of international artists.
When: August 13 to September 3


Smoke, held at Footscray Community Arts Centre, is an exhibition by photographer and dancer, Jack Sheppard. His recent works explore the notion of ceremony and the meaning that smoke carries across cultures, particularly Indigenous Australian and African.
When: Until October 1 - Wednesdays to Saturdays


FELTernative, held at Hawthorn's Town Hall Gallery, is an exhibition of works by Victorian felt makers. The exhibition reveals the varied and imaginative potential of traditional handmade felt as both fine art and a modern craft medium, which is becoming increasingly popular.
When: Until August 27 - Wednesdays to Saturdays


View More Exhibitions


Expos, Launches, Open Days & Lectures
Deakin University Open Days offer the chance to learn all you need about becoming a Deakin student. With plenty of information about Deakin's extensive range of courses, scholarships, accommodation and more, attendees even have a chance to win an iPad.
Geelong Campus: Sunday August 21
Burwood Campus: Sunday August 28


Open Day at The Gordon, Victoria's largest regional TAFE with two campuses in Geelong, showcases more than 400 courses on offer along with a great range of activities that include campus tours, course information seminars, skills demonstrations, delicious food and entertainment.
When: Sunday August 21 - 10am to 3pm


Whitehorse Business Week, now in its 11th year, presents a high calibre of speakers sharing expert knowledge and advice on key trends with this year's program covering themes of innovation, economics, women in business, business planning, online marketing and motivation.
When: Until August 19


The Block, the hit show from Channel 9, has had competing couples restyle four townhouses in Richmond's Cameron Street. Keen viewers and fans of the series can now have the chance to bid on the revamped homes with a special auction taking place at Fitzroy Town Hall.
When: Saturday August 20 - Starts 7pm


Kayser Bombshell, the latest collection from Kayser Lingerie, will be launched at Federation Square where Nova FM's Lauren Brain will invite women to try on the new Bombshell bra in private change rooms. There'll also be make-up retouching by NP Set and lots of giveaways.
When: Friday August 19 - Midday to 2pm


BuildGreen Expo, presented by HIA and held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, offers a great showcase of easy and practical solutions to save water, save energy, increase recycling and reduce waste both at home and at work with the only trade/consumer show devoted to green living.
When: Thursday to Sunday, August 18 to 21


Ausbike Bike Expo, held at Royal Melbourne Showgrounds, caters for cycling enthusiasts with exhibitors showcasing bikes of all kinds along with an impressive range of bikes and accessories for interests that include Road, Track, Cross Country, BMX, Kids and even Unicycles.
When: Saturday to Monday, August 20 to 22


Australia's Ultimate Drummers Weekend, presented by Drumtek, is a drum and percussion enthusiast's Heaven with workshops, performances and signings from special guests, drumming competitions and a drumming expo. It's held at Darebin Arts & Entertainment Centre in Preston.
When: Saturday & Sunday, August 20 & 21


Spring Spectacular Bridal Expo, held at the Royal Exhibition Building, is Australian Bridal Service's annual exhibition of fashion parades and a showcase of the best services from Melbourne's bridal retailers with over 200 accredited retailers exhibiting across the weekend event.
When: Saturday & Sunday, August 20 & 21


Melbourne Tours
Melbourne's Underbelly Crime Tour lets you discover the darker side of Melbourne as you walk in the footsteps of notorious criminals, exploring the scenes of some of the city's most infamous criminal events. The tour also includes 50% discount on entry to the Old Melbourne Gaol.
More on Melbourne's Underbelly Crime Tour


More Expos & Launches | More Open Days | Coonawarra Wine Tasting Roadshow, making an appearance at Melbourne Town Hall, presents an impressive showcase of over 100 wines from individual Coonawarra wineries available to taste, along with the chance to meet the winemakers and owners behind these famous labels.
When: Thursday August 18


bookarestaurant.com
bookarestaurant.com is the easiest way to book a restaurant online. With the choice to search by cuisine and location, you can find great dining offers with some of Melbourne's finest restaurants. Bookings are free and can be made online at any time of the day.
Book a Restaurant Today


Sporting Events
AFL Premiership
AFL Premiership | Round 22
Carlton vs Hawthorn - Fri August 19, 7:40pm - Marvel Stadium
Nth Melb vs Fremantle - Sat August 20, 7:10pm - Marvel Stadium
Collingwood vs Brisbane Lions - Sat August 20, 7:10pm - MCG
Melbourne vs Richmond - Sun August 21, 4:40pm - MCG


Rugby
NRL Premiership | Round 24
Melbourne Storm Home Game
Melbourne Storm vs St George Dragons
Friday August 19 - 7:35pm
AAMI Park


Roller Derby
Victorian Roller Derby | Bout 4
Game 1 - Dead Ringer Rosies vs Geelong Bloody Marys
Game 2 - Dolls Au-Go-Go vs Toxic Avengers
Melbourne Showgrounds
When: Saturday August 20 - Doors Open 4:45pm


Cycling
Dirty Deeds Urban Cyclocross, presented by Brunswick Cycling Club, is Australia's original Cyclocross series with races that offer both riders and spectators the chance to see some exciting, muddy, dramatic and hilariously quirky racing in different venues across Melbourne's northern suburbs.
When: Sunday August 21 - Brunswick


Horse Racing
Moonee Valley comes alive in a world-class season, where the world's best thoroughbreds, trainers and jockeys will compete for over $10 million in prize money and Super VOBIS bonuses.
Next Race:
Saturday August 20 - Gates Open - 11:10am


IASbet is Australia's premier online betting agency, offering better odds than TAB for Horse Racing and Sports Betting both in Australia and overseas. An easy way to take a punt on any one of the many races held over the long weekend, you can even receive $100 in FREE bets when you join IASbet online.
Join IASbet for $100 in FREE Bets - Learn More


View More Sports Events


Let Melbourne Know...
Advertise Your School Fete, Fair or Carnival FREE!
Everyone wants to support their local school by going to their annual fundraiser. Last year we promoted a whopping 1,200 school events. So, make sure you let your school organizers know they can list their fete, fair or carnival for FREE @ OnlyMelbourne!
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Trivia & Humour
Shaggy Dog


Shaggy Dog by Deej - Click Here to find what happens!


The Black Box
A Melbourne man invented the "black box" flight recorder. However, nobody in Australia was interested in David Warren's invention, developed at the Aeronautical Research Laboratories in Melbourne in 1956, but he was invited to develop it in the UK.

Soon, the "black box", which is in fact orange, was in use world-wide and in 1960 all Australian airlines were compelled to install them.

Read about other Melbourne Inventions | Read Melbourne Trivia...


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