Free Events in April 2014
Welcome to the April 2014 Events Newsletter.
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Comedy Festival till 20th April.
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival will celebrate its 28th year in 2014 and is one of the three largest comedy festivals in the world, alongside Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Montreal's Just for Laughs Festival. Station 59 is Melbourne’s original alternative comedy venue. At the 2013 Melbourne Comedy Festival, capacity crowds saw over 100 hours of free comedy at Station 59 and The (Very) Big Laugh Out takes over Federation Square and City Square to provide entertainment for the whole family. It's free, friendly and as colourful and fun as neapolitan ice-cream.
Wednesdays 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th – Groove Dance 6pm-7pm. Fun and interactive dance class for beginners to advanced. St Pauls Court, Federation Square.
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Wednesday 2nd – Fitness at Fed Square, Flinders Street. Join workouts led by health
coaches and fitness instructors from Healthy Lifestyle Lounge. These classes aim to help city workers keep fit and healthy. Fitness activities include circuit based exercise which will incorporate body weight exercises, cardio training and core strength movements. Classes are simple, fun and great for invigorating the mind, body and soul. All ages and fitness levels welcome. Times: Monday 6pm – 6.45pm on River Terrace, Wednesday 7am - 7.45am at the Amphitheatre and Friday 7am – 7.45am at the Amphitheatre.
Thursdays 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th – Organ Recital at St Michaels Church at 120 Collins Street. 1pm-1.30pm.
Fridays 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th – Qigong (a sort of Tai Chi combining integrated movement, mental cultivation and regulated breathing) – Main Square at Federation Square 8am – 9am.
Friday 4th – Heritage Walking Tour, Williamstown. Meet 11.45am at the Visitor Info Centre, Nelson
Place, Williamstown.
Sunday 6th - Swiss Festival at Queensbridge Square, Southbank 11am-5pm.
The Swiss Festival is the main event for Victoria's Swiss community, and it showcases Switzerland's unique culture and traditions, as well as those of its European neighbours.
Come along for an entertaining and fun-filled day - think Swiss cheese and wine, Swiss dancers and singers, Swiss chocolate and much more from the Swiss culture.
Friday 6th - The 1st Friday Dance Club. Each month anyone in Melbourne can come into the city and learn a dance with skilled dancing groups. The dances change every week. The 1st Friday Dance Club takes place at the same place and the same time every month – 6pm till 8pm weather permitting as it’s outdoors. Led by community and professional dance groups, 1st Friday Dance Club provides opportunities for people to come together to learn, share and experience dance. It is free, lo-
fi, and open to all ages. The address is 1A Queens Bridge Street, Southbank which is on the Southbank side of the pedestrian bridge over the River Yarra behind Flinders Street railway station.
Sundays 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th - Gypsy Jazz on the Village Green at CERES. Starts 1pm. Join in, or like most people, just watch! www.ceres.org.au
Monday 7th - Classics at Fed Square. See Melbourne Strings Ensemble in the Deakin Edge 12noon-1pm.
Monday 7th - Friday 11th - The Future Postal Service.
Bring the kids to enjoy a high-energy and big-thinking mail delivery game, capturing their thoughts on letters and delivering them to new friends. Presented by Melbourne artist collective Maybe ( ) Together, the game is part intervention, part installation and a whole lot of fun.
Where: Flinders Street Amphitheatre, Fed Square 10am – 2pm
Ages: 7 years +
Monday 7 – Friday 11 April + 14
– 17 April, 11am – 2pm - Kids in the Studio: Trading Faces, ACMI Lightwell, Fed Square.
Exploring the concept of character and design, kids can trade faces with their favourite DreamWorks character for a day by creating and decorating their own DreamWorks inspired face mask.
Ages: 5 – 10 years (recommended)
Tuesdays 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th – Tai Chi in Main Square at Federation Square 7.30am – 8.30am.
Tuesday 8th - Little Foodies Easter Bickie Decorating at Queen Victoria Market, 10.30-11.30, Bottom L-Shed.
Come by the Foodie’s Corner and decorate your own Easter egg-shaped cookie! Put on your very own apron & chef’s hat (supplied) and whip out your creative skills to decorate your cookies with coloured frostings, sprinkles, lollies and other wonderful things! The biscuits will then be yours to take away and eat at your pleasure!
Activities are suitable for children aged 4+
Note: not
suitable for children with allergies to gluten, dairy or egg
Tuesday 8th April – Free Ice Cream !!
The annual Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day is back – from 9am-5pm.
It's the Ben & Jerriest Day of the year! So, make sure you swing by one of our participating scoop shops around the world and grab yourself a FREE cone. Since 1979, Ben & Jerry's has been thanking fans for their support in the best way they knew how: with a free cone of the chunkiest, funkiest ice cream around!
Tuesday 8th - Adventures in Singing and Imagining - Flinders St Amphitheatre at Fed Square 2.15pm – 3pm.
Bring the whole family (all ages) to join free school holiday sound and voice workshops. A musical journey through imaginative play and song, exploring the big city and noticing nature. This workshop is for children and their parents who’d like to come along for the ride. It will include singing, movement and play.
Tuesdays 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th – Lunchtime Meditation in The Atrium at Federation Square 12.30-1pm.
Tuesday 8th - Southgate Silent Cinema. Chill out in a deckchair wearing headphones to watch the movie – definitely not your normal cinema experience – Tonight’s movie is in partnership with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Tim Minchin – Rock n Roll Nerd. Starts 7.30pm but you’ll need to be early to get a seat! Location: 3 Southgate Avenue, Southbank.
Wednesday 9 April, Friday 11 April and Sunday 13 April, 10.30am to 12.30pm ArtPlay Backyard.
Come and play in the ArtPlay Backyard. We’ll have all sorts of materials on hand for you to create your artwork. Draw in the sand, build sculptures with recycled and natural materials or muck about with water. Make a mandala, wrap up some rope or ribbon and dream up your own mini landscape. Anything is possible! And don’t
forget to bring a hat!
Age: Family
Thursdays 10th and 24th – Belly Dancing – The Atrium at Federation Square 12.30pm-1pm.
Friday 11th – Heritage Walking Tour, Williamstown. Meet 11.45am at the Visitor Info Centre, Nelson Place, Williamstown.
Saturday 12th - VIVA Youth Festival, Princes Gardens, Malvern Road, Prahran 11.00am - 6.00pm.
VIVA Youth Festival rocks Prahran's Princes Gardens with a full day of live music, basketball, activities, food, fun, and the VIVA Prahran Skate Comp.
At the Soundslike Productions live music stage, we have a mass of DJs, hip hop beats and tunes featuring Mose and the FMLY, The Psyde Projects and 2013 Push Start Battle winners, Barcelos.
KING OF THE COURT 3 on 3 basketball competition will be running from 11-4pm, with a $500 cash prize up for grabs. There are only 20 team spots available, so register your team now at www.3n3.com.au.
VIVA
PRAHRAN 2014, presented by Levi's Skateboarding Collection, is shaping up as one of the biggest skate comps yet with $3000 of prize money up for grabs thanks to brand spankin' new sponsor Levi's!
Sunday 13th - Learn French. (Every second Sunday of the month) noon – 1pm at St Michael's Uniting Church 120 Collins Street. Did you ever want to learn French? Join a French native speaker for a fun, free class. The classes allow those who have wanted to speak French to gain some pointers in basic French conversation and to practise their French in a fun, themed French conversation class. Sessions offer some notes and instructions, followed by conversation on a theme in small groups or pairs as the teacher assists.
Tuesday 15th - Adventures in Singing and Imagining - Flinders St Amphitheatre at Fed Square 2.15pm – 3pm.
Bring the whole family (all ages) to join free school holiday sound and voice workshops. A musical
journey through imaginative play and song, exploring the big city and noticing nature. This workshop is for children and their parents who’d like to come along for the ride. It will include singing, movement and play.
Wednesday 16 April to Sunday 1 June (open Wednesday to Sunday) Antarctica (interactive exhibition) at Artplay. Can you imagine what living in Antarctica will be like in 20 years time?
Through a mix of speculative storytelling, hands on constructing and museum reverse engineering – Ben and children at ArtPlay have literally `made the future`.
Just like scientists and historians can tell stories about the past from objects; here objects describe what could happen to this frozen continent in the future. From peculiar stories of fictional explorers to imagined evolutions of real creatures, discover how children have visualised the future in models and 1:1 objects, to ask: what will happen to Antarctica?
Age: Family
(*NB At times
exhibition may be closed during performances, please contact ArtPlay for more info)
Wednesday 16 April and Thursday 17 April - Wayside Rocks at Artplay, 10.30am to 12.30pm.
Come and decorate the rocks around ArtPlay. Experiment with colours, shiny foils, stick-on eyes and natural materials.
Basic forms and shapes such as special rocks and trees have been admired, respected and sometimes worshipped in many cultures via traditions stretching back to antiquity. Use creative expression to bring these rocks to life and honour their natural beauty and mystery.
Age: Family
Saturday 19th – Poetry – Normally 2 feature poets and the opportunity to read out your own at The Atrium in Federation Square 2pm – 4pm.
Friday 25th – Heritage Walking Tour, Williamstown. Meet 11.45am at the Visitor Info Centre, Nelson Place, Williamstown.
Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th –
Buddha's Day Festival at Fed Square.
Starting at 10am each day there's all sorts going on here, from Blessing Ceremonies, cooking and dancing demonstrations, music, art and craft and other kids activities and lots more. Check out the timetables of the highlights on www.buddhaday.org.au.
Sunday 27th - The KLM Dutch Orange Day Festival at Queensbridge Square, 1A Queens Bridge Street, Southbank is a lively celebration of Dutch culture. Sample Dutch delicacies such as croquettes, poffertjes and Dutch pea soup, or pick up some Dutch groceries. There'll be activities, Dutch cultural displays and a charity auction for a KLM return ticket to Amsterdam. Come along, dress in orange and join the festivities! From 10.30am – 4.30pm
Sunday 27th – Classic Car Club featuring Falcon GT Club of Australia 11am – 2.30pm on Flinders Street section of Federation Square by ACMI.
