March Mayhem: 2 ‘Must Do’ Melbourne Festivals
It’s all happening in March. Melbourne has a lot going on at any time of year, but March has really got your fun cut out for you. There are a couple of mega-festivals we think you should start preparing for for this month, and they’re as different to each as they are promising. You can surely find time to indulge here and there, if not for the whole thing, and as they’re spread out over a few days you can pick and choose what you want to get involved in; our guide below will help you to plan and we have some great ideas on how you can maximise your March fun at both of these Melbourne festivals!
The Magnificent Moomba Festival
The only thing better than finding out there’s a spectacular festival happening right on your doorstep is finding out that it’s free! The City of Melbourne once again welcomes locals and visitors alike to the annual Moomba Festival. This spirited event lands on Labour Day, the long weekend, and has been doing so for the last sixty years. The festivities continue for four whole days – meaning you can wring a lot of fun out of them!
As is usually the case, the program is pretty exciting. It is aimed at absolutely everyone, so there are also plenty of kiddie-friendly entertainment and activities, for those of you who have toddlers or teenagers in tow. Some of the things Moomba is famous for are the fireworks, carnival, the fabulous parade, and the birdman rally.
You’ll be able to participate in all manner of creative endeavours, from face painting to sand sculpting and designing a float; there’s physical fun to be had in the form of skateboarding, roller disco, wakeboarding and slalom; you’ve got some musical events – a diverse array of live bands in the bandstand – and some unusual shows, like the nightmare puppet show and Peanuts the movie.
These are some of the main draws, but we’ve only scratched the surface – there’s a whole lot more going on than we’ve got space to mention! So popular is this festival that it inspires over a million visitors to come here and get involved – every single year.
What will you wear to this magical festival? How about complementing the carnival with some gorgeous Spanish-style costumes or some showgirl attire? You could give the Nightmare Puppet Show audience even more to panic about with some freaky outfits. All that’s left to do is blank out 10th to 13th March in your diary, and get preparing!
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
We can’t speak for everyone, but we’re pretty sure that if you’ve found your way to this article, you probably subscribe to the ‘laughter as medicine’ philosophy. Who wouldn’t want a good giggle now and then? It’s a release if nothing else, and it’s why we like to party and dress up in costumes.
Fortunately, there is a whole festival dedicated to comic entertainment this month. If ever you needed an option to take life less seriously, dress up and get giddy, here it is: Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Spread out across the City of Melbourne, it makes for an excellent opportunity to get out and about in the city with friends. You have a myriad of events to choose from and tickets can be purchased for multiple or individual shows.
Like Moomba, this festival also offers a huge program, packed with comedy entertainment and lots of performing arts shows. Here you’ll get to see the best of Melbourne’s theatre, some captivating cabaret, and a selection of street performances; there will also be lots of film, television and you can feast your eyes on an abundance of visual arts. Local talents will be showing you what they’re made of alongside their global counterparts.
With such a diverse program, you and your crew will have creative free-reign when it comes to dressing up. For example, girls might want to get into something sexy for some of the musical gigs; you might turn up to Arj Barker’s ‘Organic’ act dressed as a bunch of different foods. There are 26 pages of events listed in the ticket link (above), so you will have plenty of inspiration.
You girls and guys might want to rock up to the great superheroes debate dressed in your favourite superhero outfits. If you like a bit of dry British humour, turn up at the British Invasion in your Beefeater, Queen Elizabeth or Sherlock Holmes costumes.
Unless there’s something in particular you want to see or do here, there’s no rush; as one of the biggest events of its kind in the whole world, it starts on 29th of this month and rolls out until 23rd of April. So you’ve got a whole three and a half weeks to join in the fun – and with all those belly laughs on the way, who needs the gym? Your abs will love you for it!
There are even more things happening in this wonderful city this month, as it happens. Melbourne’s fashionistas will be flocking to the Melbourne Fashion Festival, running ‘til the 19th March; it’s not just us who loves weird, wonderful and whacky outfits! There’s also the Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) from 16th – 27th March. That’s pretty much a full calendar for even the most dedicated-festival goers. Whatever you choose to do this month, we hope you enjoy the March mayhem!
Meet Dale Pruser, our fabulous blogger who lives and breathes costumes! With boundless enthusiasm and a knack for turning heads, she’s the perfect guide to unleash your inner alter ego. Dale’s 30+ years experience in the costume and cosplay industry, make her the go-to source for finding the perfect costume. Her passion and knowledge shine through her blog posts, where she shares helpful tips on finding the perfect costume, DIY hacks to make your outfit stand out, and even delves into the fascinating history behind some of the most iconic characters. Her writing is as vibrant and colorful as the costumes she adores. With a twinkle in her eye and a wardrobe bursting with creativity, Dale dives headfirst into the realm of costumes. She lives for those magical moments when you put on a costume and become someone entirely different—whether it’s a mighty superhero, a swashbuckling pirate, or a glamorous 1920s flapper.