rm_traditional_melbourne_festivals_and_events

 Our Home Page | Cultural Festivals | Cultural Precincts | Traditional Melbourne Festivals and Events | MCS CBD Homepage **TRADITIONAL MELBOURNE FESTIVALS AND EVENTS**

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show | New Years Eve (Fireworks) | Melbourne International Arts Festival | Moomba Waterfest **
 * Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Bourke Street (Christmas) |

Melbourne has a massive variety of different festivals and events of its own, that are, most of the time, traditions that will live on forever. The festivals that we will be covering on this page are the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Bourke Street Christmas, Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, New Years Eve Fireworks, the Melbourne International Arts Festival and the Moomba Waterfest. All of these events and festivals are traditional and everyone is welcome to attend them. ** MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL ** ** The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is one of the three largest comedy festivals in the world, and is one of the largest cultural events in Australia. The festival was first launched in 1887 by Barry Humphries and Peter Cook. Since then, there has been 20,000 festivals, with attendances of 400,000 people. The average ticket price is $22 per person. It is held at Malthouse Theatre Melbourne, Australia on the 15th September. The performances included are: sketch shows, cabaret acts, plays, improvisation theatre, debates, art exhibitions, musical shows and street performances, film, television, radio and visual arts. The festival is held over a course of three and a half weeks each year and has the finest and best overseas comedians come here to Melbourne to perform for Australian audiences.

The festival aims to: **
 * To showcase and celebrate the best of all of Australia's comic artists
 * Develop new performers and comedy works.
 * Present the finest overseas comedians to Australia
 * They have a National Secondary Competition held throughout the year, so that secondary students can come and show off their skills and learn from each other.

For three and a half weeks each year, this event makes Melbourne the center of comedy in the whole universe.

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** **BOURKE STREET MY** **ER WINDOWS** **(CHRISTMAS)**
 * The Myer Christmas Windo[[image:myer-windows.jpg width="300" height="200" align="left" caption=""Olivia The Pig" 2009 Myer Windows"]]ws have been running in Melbourne since the year 1956. Every year, at least 1 million people come to the Myer Windows with their families, to celebrate a tradition in Melbourne. Over the years, there have been many different story themes, including fairy tales, classic Christmas stories and Santa stories.This year's theme, or story, is based on the book "Olivia The Pig: Olivia Helps With Christmas", which is a famous children's story book based on a little pig called Olivia and her family preparing for the day of Christmas, when Santa arrives. The voice of the narrator is one of Dame Edna, an Australian comedian, whose role is played by Barry Humphries, who also founded the: Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The Windows are available to view on the 6th November until the 4th January, 7am to 1am every day. The Myer that hosts the Christmas Windows is located on Melbourne's very own Bourke Street Mall. The windows operate for a total of 1,015 hours every year and every window plays a pre-recorded show 50,750 times throughout the entire Christmas season, every year. The windows are specially there for families to come and enjoy the show with their children.

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** **MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW** ** The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show is sponsored by Mitre 10 from 24th to 28th March. It is one of the biggest and best annual flower and garden shows in the southern hemisphere and has been rated among the top five flower and garden shows in the world. ** This event is held within the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens. It includes some of Australia's top floral and landscape designers, garden and floral retail products, tools and outdoor furniture, food and entertainment for you and your family. Many of the plants are set to show an explosion of colours and a understanding of the climate and conditions we live in today. ** The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show is a "must see" occasion in which you may see the unthinkable, unusual and old favourite flowers, plants and outdoor gardens.

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 **NEW YEARS EVE (FIREWORKS)** The New Years Eve Fireworks is one of Melbourne's biggest events in which families and adults come to celebrate a new year with a show of two fantastic firework displays, one held at 9:15 and the other at 12:00. The entertainment for the night includes live performances, carnival rides, awesome entertainment, along with children's activities. The fireworks are launched from two main places in the city: the Yarra Park and the Docklands. The fireworks are one of Melbourne's traditions and are launched from the top of many buildings located around the city. This occasion is alcohol free and is a great start to a new and exciting year, that everyone will enjoy.

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** MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL ** The International Arts Festival is a celebration of international performing and visual arts and is one of Melbourne's great cultural events. The festival is held for a run of 17 days, this year held from the 9th October to the 24th October each year in the month of October. The festival brings a variety of different things to celebrate including dance, theatre, multimedia, visual arts and outdoor events. It is one of Australia's well known and very famous cultural festivals and many say that it always will be.The Melbourne International Arts Festival was first established in 1986 by the Cain Government. There was a festival called the Spoleto Festival USA, placed in South Carolina, and the Melbourne International Festival is very similar to it, so much so, the festival was once called the Spoleto Festival Melbourne itself, but then changed its name from that to the Melbourne International Festival of the Arts in 1990. From there, the festival yet again changed its name to the Melbourne International Arts Festival, in 2003. Many professionals have been the Artistic Directors for the festival, these include: Leo Schofield, Richard Wherrett, Robyn Archer, Clifford Hocking and Kirsty Edmunds. This years Artistic Director was Brett Sheehy, and he will also be the director for next years 2010 Arts Festival.

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** MOOMBA WATERFEST ** The Moomba Waterfest is one of Melbournes favourite and largest outdoor events, out of all of the ones that it has and is held on the Labour Day long weekend, over four days. The 2009 Moomba Festival was the 54th annual festival and has been celebrated since 1955. The festival offers many free activities including music, sport, activities, entertainment, beach volleyball, fireworks, a parade, waterskiing, fire shows and many more. There is a carnival ride for the whole family, especially the kids, to attend and enjoy. Fireworks, which are displayed at the start and end of the festival, play a big part in the festival. It is mainly held at the Alexandra Gardens, but has activities scattered across Birrarung Marr and the Waterfront City Piazza. It is run and organised by the City Of Melbourne Council.

The festival has a parade usually starting at 11am, starting at Little Bourke Street, along Swanston Street, all the way to Princes Bridge. Involved in the parade are a large and colourful variety of floats and people in costumes dressing up to make everyone smile. There are many competitive water activities and events, which are all held along the Yarra River. The festival even has a "Birdman" competition, which is basically a group of people designing a costumes for one to wear and jump off a platform with. Who ever jumps, or as they might say, "fly" the furthest, wins.

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