What’s hot in Melbourne this winter?
This winter Melbourne serves up a smorgasbord of hot theatre productions, international exhibitions, sporting spectacles and popular festivals, as well as loads of great shopping, restaurants, cafes and bars.
Singing witches and colourful 1940s characters take to the stage in two lavish musicals: WICKED (at the Regent Theatre, starting 27 June), the eagerly awaited Broadway production that recounts the story of the Witches of Oz before a ruby-slippered Dorothy ‘dropped in’; and Guys and Dolls (currently playing at the Princess Theatre) featuring a stellar cast of wise guys and dames, energetic dance numbers and classic show tunes.
The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) will be the exclusive Australian venue for the international blockbuster exhibition, Art Deco 1910–1939, showcasing exquisite works from this stylish design period from 28 June to 5 October 2008.
In July and August, Melbourne transforms into the festival central with three major cultural festivals taking place in just six weeks:
- the State of Design Festival (16 to 24 July, see story later in this edition of Pieces of Victoria), Australia’s only major design festival
- the Melbourne International Film Festival (23 July to 10 August), a 19-day feast of local and international cinema;
- The Age Melbourne Writers’ Festival (22 to 31 August), where Australian and international authors will converge on the city
Visitors can embrace the city’s passion for football of all codes, with Aussie Rules games at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) or Telstra Dome; alternately home-town heroes Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League at Olympic Park or watch Qantas Wallabies take on Ireland in the Rugby Union Lansdowne Cup (June 14).
Winter is also the ideal time for shopping, whether it’s exploring Melbourne’s myriad lanes and arcades for edgy clothes labels, eclectic jewellery and one-off homewares or indulging in the city’s many fabulous shopping precincts which cater for all tastes and budgets.
Go to visitvictoria.com for more information about what’s happening in Melbourne and the great value winter escape deals and packages available.
Media contact: Karen Strahan, Tourism Victoria, on (03) 9653 9745 or email karen.strahan@tourism.vic.gov.au