The 7 Best Things To Do In Melbourne This July
Melbourne is positively bursting at the seems this month with an array of cool activities to keep you busy as the weather turns chilly. Wrap your cosy little self with all the layers, strap your comfy shoes on and head outside to earn some serious cultural points this winter.
[listicle]To market, to market
The super-sized Finders Keepers Markets are back at Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building. The winter markets will feature over 250 independent art and design stalls from local Melbourne makers, as well as creative artisans from all over Australia. The three day event will run from Friday July 22 to Sunday July 24, with dedicated food and beverage stalls, live music, two bars, three coffee stations and some excellent eats from local food trucks. Come along and nab some unique treats you won’t find anywhere else – like a cutesy pug adorned bow tie, or a personalised leather tote or enough organic soap to tide you over ’til the summer months. Come one, come all.
Photo: Finders Keepers Markets/Facebook
Sweet dreams
Preston’s food truck park is throwing an all-out sweets bonanza this month with their extra special Sweet Tooth Truck Festival. Held over three days in late July, the delightful food truck park in Melbourne’s inner north will be delivering all your favourite desserts to you on a silver platter – chocolate, churros, doughnuts, ice cream, waffles, crepes and even some delicious vegan baked goods to tide you over. The event kicks off at 5pm on Friday July 29, with it stretching long into the weekend. Stay tuned to the Facebook event for more details closer to the festival. Hoo boy.
Photo: The Food Truck Park/Facebook
See This American Life in person
Ira Glass is one of the greats – his wit, iconic voice and masterful storytelling ability has helped him and his wildly successful podcast This American Life skyrocket across the world. It’s a little surprising then to learn that Ira Glass will be touring Australia on the back of a contemporary dance production. ‘Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host’ will explore what happens when you combine live radio and contemporary dance. Glass will be bringing along two extraordinary dancers, Anna Bass and Monica Bill Barnes to the State Theatre on July 14 and 15 for three incredible live acts – one of which includes radio interviews being restaged as contemporary dance pieces. Incredible. Tickets available here.
Beat your little heart out
Work-Shop Melbourne are all about creating, collaboration, teaching and learning – and what better way to up-skill this winter than by learning the freaking drums. This Learn The Drums workshop, held on Monday July 18, invites anyone who has ever been interested in the drums to come along and smash the hell out of a drum kit. You’ll get to learn the basic points of playing drums, including how to hold your drumsticks correctly, how to read basic notation and how to play a simple rock beat. Tickets are $35 – what are you waiting for? More info here.
Take a look inside
Go wandering this winter with Open House Melbourne. Once a year, this unique organisation has the ability to unlock the doors to some of Melbourne’s best-known buildings, offering unprecedented access inside architectural wonders like Federation Square, Yarraville’s Sun Theatre and the Nicholas Building. Probably the most coveted destination of the Open House weekend is the Flinders Street Station Ballroom, which only a few lucky punters will be granted access to. And for the first time, Open House is expanding towards the suburbs. This year punters will be able to stickybeak their way into some of Melbourne’s most architecturally stunning homes, including a few that featured on Grand Designs Australia – fancy!
The Open House Melbourne weekend runs 10am to 4pm on Saturday July 30 and Sunday July 31. Almost all buildings are open access and tours are self-guiding – be sure to check open times and pre-book some tours on their website before you go.
The most Wuthering Heights day… ever
Following the tradition of 300 Kate Bush lookalikes descending on a park in the UK, Melbourne fans have decided to do one better. Grab your red dress, your killer Cathy moves and head over to the Kings Domain for The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever, a crazy reenactment of Kate Bush’s 1978 seminal ‘Wuthering Heights’ video. With over 10,000 punters already “interested” this is going to be pretty unforgettable – register your interest here and start practicing ASAP – the routine is a lot harder than it looks!
Celebrate the Olympics retro-style
With the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics now only a month away, ACMI have decided to celebrate by hosting an all out gaming spectacular on July 23. The Retrolympiad will be a one-night-only gaming event featuring retro gaming tournaments, 80s factoids, dance-offs and an epic DJ set by the Midnight Juggernauts. Hosted by comedians Andy Matthews and Al Tremblay Birchall, the night will feature a range of retro sports and Olympic themed games including Konami’s Track and Field, Epyx’s California Games and U.S. Gold’s Olympic Gold. Medal ceremonies, food, drink and 80s beats will all be included – ready set go get those tickets here.[/listicle] [related_articles]27503,29156,29829[/related_articles]
(Lead image: Finders Keepers Markets)
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