Fan-boys-and-girls unite: The Australian Movie and Comic Expo is coming to Melbourne this October! The unique event is a must-attend for all self-confessed ‘movie-geeks’ and pop culture aficionados. An expo for the whole family, the event will encompass everything from live events to unforgettable exhibitions.

Every year, a roster of international and local entertainment figures take part in a movie and comic expo like no other. Formerly known as the Armageddon Expo, the organisers have always done their utmost to ensure proceedings are engaging and entertaining. And this year looks set to be one of the best yet.

Expo organisers will be honouring the ‘Back to the Future’ film trilogy, cult 60’s TV series ‘Get Smart’ and comic icon ‘The Flash’ with a series of guest appearances and Q&A events. Guests will gather to discuss the social impacts of these important pop-cultural milestones, as well as in-depth investigations on the art and methods behind creation.

So far, several high profile guests have been announced. These include voice-over couple Hal Rayle and Maggie Roswell (known for their work on The Simpsons), local comic book artist Tristan Jones (who recently completed a Mad Max: Fury Road adaptation) and comic legend Dean Rankine. Also in attendance: 80’s screen heartthrob and Stargate actor Lou Diamond Phillips and Marty McFly’s original girlfriend, the actress Claudia Wells.

In addition to these standout events, organisers have also sought to provide a diverse array of entertainment options. The Back To The Future DeLorean and the 1966 Batmobile will be on display, and guests are encouraged to enjoy live demonstrations, cosplay competitions, a unique ‘Lazer Tag’ arena and a LEGO Brickvention designed for the event.

In this new Golden Age of comic-book heroes and villains, there are plenty of good reasons to re-fuel the flux capacitor and head out to the Australian Movie and Comic Expo!

What: The Australian Movie and Comic Expo 2015
Where: Melbourne Showgrounds, 276-318 Epsom Road, Flemington VIC 3032
When: 17/10/2015 to 18/10/2015
For booking and more information visit: www.ticketek.com.au

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The historic NSW town of Berry will host a brand-spanking-new festival this December. The Fairgrounds Festival looks set to thrill guests with its fantastic line-up of independent artists and hip cultural events. Located just a couple of hours outside of Sydney, along the sunny South Coast of the state, the Fairgrounds Festival is set to be one of the highlights of the summer!

Accessible by train, the music festival will take place in the picturesque Hazelberry Park. For the entire weekend, the town will entertain visitors with cultural events designed to spark in-town tourism. Accommodation options are plentiful, and on-site camping is also available; organisers suggest visitors make the most of the weekend away by enjoying the other festivities on offer.

The beguiling tones of lo-fi folk sensation Jessica Pratt will no doubt enrapture audiences, as the up-and-coming American singer/songwriter is going from strength to strength. Similarly, the soulful groove of Unknown Mortal Orchestra has captured the hearts and minds of a wide fan base, and for good reason; their live show is famously appealing and entrancing.

Brooklyn electronic duo Ratatat will perform cuts off their new album, and Sydney darlings Royal Headache are set blow minds with their unique, high-energy blend of soul and garage rock. Also along for the ride is 90’s indie sensation Mercury Rev (whose albums were produced by famous Flaming Lips / Tame Impala board man Dave Fridmann).

With a free moonlight cinema, local food market, several events tailored for families and children and so much more, the Fairgrounds Festival is sure to please even the most discerning lover of all things ‘hip’. Visit the festival website for ticket information and a run-down of events on offer!

What: The Fairgrounds Festival
Where: Berry, NSW
When: Saturday, 5th of December, 2015
For more information visit:http://fairgrounds.com.au/

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The St Jerome’s Laneway Festival has become one of Australia’s leading alternative music festivals, offering major cities a generous line-up of local and international talent. Organisers recently announced the 2016 program, which features some truly amazing musical talents including Flume, Chvrches, Grimes, Hermitude, Beach House and Thundercat.

Next year, EDM legend Flume will be rocking the festival with his unique blend of futuristic genres. The producer spoke to Triple J about working at the festival in his younger, less famous days. “I actually volunteered at the 2010 Laneway … I was carrying bottles of water between stages and all that,” Flume told triple J. “I walked past The xx [playing on stage]. I kind of stopped; I put the box of water down and watched the whole set. Got in heaps of trouble.”

Other major acts include indie-rock darlings Beach House, bass playing supremo Thundercat, live-wire electronic act Grimes and acclaimed singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. Rapper Vince Staples and Odd Future-related crew The Internet will bring their unique talents to Australian crowds, along with Chvrches, Hudson Mohawke and Hermitude. Local favourites will include Violent Soho, Big Scary, The Smith Street Band and Japanese Wallpaper.

The Laneway Festival is renowned for its relaxed atmosphere and welcoming vibe. With a smattering of other wonderful festival attractions and an overwhelmingly good line-up, don’t miss out on next year’s Laneway!

The 2016 St Jerome’s Laneway Festival Line-Up includes:
•    Banoffee
•    Battles
•    Beach House
•    Big Scary
•    Chvrhces
•    DMA’s
•    East India Youth
•    Flume
•    Grimes
•    Health
•    Hermitude
•    High Tension
•    Hudson Mohawke
•    Japanese Wallpaper
•    Majical Cloudz
•    METZ
•    Purity Ring
•    QT
•    Shamir
•    Silicon
•    The Internet
•    The Smith Street Band
•    Tobias Jesso Jr.
•    Vince Staples
•    Violent Soho

Tickets go on sale September 30.

When/Where:

• Friday 5 February: Harts Mill, Port Adelaide (16+)
• Saturday 6 February:  Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane (16+)
• Sunday 7 February: Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney
• Saturday 13 February: Footscray Community Arts Centre And The River’s Edge, Melbourne
• Sunday 14 February: Esplanade Reserve and West End, Fremantle

For more information visit: http://lanewayfestival.com/

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An iconic celebration…

On Melbourne Cup Day, Australia’s institutions and inhabitants (human or otherwise) stop for an afternoon of fun and frivolity. The nationally celebrated cultural event is centred on a rich thoroughbred horserace, worth a staggering $6.2-million in prize money. This year’s Emirates Melbourne Cup is set to be the sporting event of the season, so visitors are encouraged to get gussied up for the racetrack!

Taking place on Tuesday the 3rd of November, the event is a crucial element of the Spring Racing Carnival, and the social festivities surrounding the main stage are always entertaining. At the racecourse, guests are likely to see the cream of the crop of racing’s high-society, but ordinary folks can also enjoy the ‘champagne-and-dollar-bets’ lifestyle. In short, it’s a vitally important mixer-type festival that brings out the best in everyone.

The Melbourne Cup’s roots stretch back to 1861, when the first race was held. The 3,200-metre turf race is the richest two-mile handicap event in the world, a factor that appeals to many of the world’s top trainers and owners. As such, the competition for first place is intense. The Cup has come a long way since its humble regional days, rightfully claiming its place near the top of the horseracing calendar.

On that first Tuesday of November, the nation’s pubs and bars will enjoy thriving business. Social and work-based events are designed to make the most of ‘Melbourne Cup Fever’, a truly perennial disease that affects the locals’ brains and impedes their ability to complete work. Everywhere you look, you’ll see people crowded around small or large TV screens, yelling in unison and glancing furtively at the small scraps of paper between their fingers. Win or lose, the celebration is all that matters.

Elsewhere, a scene of refreshing colour and unabashed style will be created as more than a hundred thousand spectators pack Flemington. The atmosphere is downright electric; the nation is watching. Will you be there too?

What: The 2015 Emirates Melbourne Cup
When: Tuesday the 3rd of November
Where: Flemington Racecourse, Flemington Drive, 428-550 Epsom Road, VIC
For more information visit: www.flemington.com.au

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Good clean family fun

For local and international guests, the Royal Melbourne Show is an iconic and distinctive part of Victorian culture. The community event brings together the best in agricultural and urban life, offering visitors a range of unique old-world social events and family fun. It’s not to be missed…

This year, the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV) has organised one of its best festivals ever. There’ll be entertaining competitions and challenges, educational and interactive events for the young ones, and plenty of good food and beverages for the older folk. This year’s animal precinct will feature alpacas, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, cats and dogs, and, as always, there will be plenty of carnival rides, stunt shows and live performances to keep you entertained for days.

Gourmands will be pleased to hear that some of the region’s top producers will also be in attendance, offering patrons the chance to gain an intimate knowledge of some of Victoria’s finest fresh food. ‘Pop-up’ restaurants will serve a rotating roster of tasty treats throughout the event, and organisers have even lined up live cooking shows featuring some of Australia’s top chefs and cooking personalities. What more could a lover of all things food related ask for?

Live music acts, including Justice Crew and Jessica Mauboy, will have festivalgoers grooving throughout the Show, and festivities continue after dark with a nightly Fireworks Spectacular and Freestyle Motorcross Stunt Show, which wraps up at 7.45pm. Featuring a jet-theme and daredevil displays, it’s the perfect way to cap off a fun-filled day.

For tickets and bookings, be sure to visit the Royal Melbourne Show website. There you’ll find a detailed breakdown of the events, show times and maps for the whole family. It’s a rollicking good time, so dust off your cowboy boots and head out to the big country (the Melbourne Showgrounds) for a heck of an Australian show. And, of course, don’t forget the showbags!

What: The 2015 Royal Melbourne Show
Where: Melbourne Showgrounds, 276-318 Epsom Road, Flemington, VIC
When: 19 September–29 September, 10am – 9pm
For more information: www.royalshow.com.au

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A genuine natural landmark…

Victoria’s iconic Twelve Apostles attracts massive tourist crowds, offering guests the chance to see some of the most unique and celebrated natural formations in the world. But recent criticisms of the site have centred on one critical problem: too much wastewater was being discharged into the waters surrounding the rocky attractions.

Recently, a sewage leak caught the attention of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). According to local authorities, the leak was due in part to excess strain being placed on the parkland’s existing public toilets. With around 25 restrooms in the area, droves of visitors have become accustomed to a long wait and smelly restrooms, but the resulting leak was truly unexpected.

Corangamite Mayor Chris O’Connor told the ABC that the problem was serious and potentially game-changing. “We’re not even in peak time and certainly last year, with the speed of numbers, we were just at absolute full capacity,” he explained. “They’ve got portables in there. The place often smells pretty badly when you get out of your car, and just the capacity is not coping.”

Locals are also concerned about the ‘flow-on’ effects of the toilet shortage. “The likes of Port Campbell wouldn’t have the capacity to cope. We would be in real trouble,” Mayor O’Connor added. “Who knows what would happen but it would be highly embarrassing and it’d be obviously a major shock to our local economy.”

“People come in their thousands; they come in buses, they come in cars. If you don’t have facilities, I suppose you can only imagine what would happen around the site,” he explained. “Humans have got needs, and I guess when you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go.”

But some have advocated for a visitor’s fee to be imposed on the site. The added revenue could help more adequately manage the area. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism Board spokesperson Wayne Kayler-Thomson said a $10 fee could address the imbalance. “If you go to other natural attractions around the world, you’ll find it’s common practice to pay a fee to access those facilities and that helps to maintain the facility,” he told the ABC. “So we need to investigate ways and opportunities of doing that as part of the long term sustainability of the site.”

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An annual event, this year, the festival’s theme is ‘Stories, Love & Tales’ reflecting the history, colourful culture, diversity and creative energy of Surry Hills. Events on the day will range from live music and a speaker’s corner to street food and a puppet show. Funds raised will go towards vital community projects run by the Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre.

Performing on the day are the likes of hypnotic dream pop pioneers Noire and soulful singer-songwriter Leah Flanagan, whilst two-piece surf rock outfit The Stiffys and the dynamic indie-folk trio Sons Of the East will provide the stomping good vibes. Other acts are yet to be announced and program also includes acts from the Australian Institute of Music, with a specially curated AIM pop up stage, showcasing a wide variety of Sydney’s emerging artists.

If you want to explore the suburb, why not follow the Surry Hills Creative Trail which will take you around the streets of the suburb to meet the neighbourhood’s most talented creative and get a glimpse of their work spaces? After wandering the streets, you’ll likely work up an appetite, so in addition to the wonderful array of cafés, restaurants and bakeries spread across Surry Hills, there will also be stalls and stands selling street food and other locally produced goods.

There’s also plenty of opportunities for you to get involved or even learn something new. Across the festival will be workshops and talks that cover a range of topics from photography classes to salsa dancing and craft beer tasting to sketching tutorials. The event is also family friendly so if you’re a parent (or a big kid at heart) there’s lots of kid-friendly activities too.

This is a really great way to get to know one of Sydney’s most diverse, exciting and creative suburbs and is definitely worth popping by if you’re around. It’s also a free event – so you have no excuse!

What: Surry Hills Festival
Where: Surry Hills, 2010
When: Saturday 26^th September
More Information: http://www.surryhillsfestival.org/

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This year’s Sydney Tea Festival is nearly here! For lovers of the flavoursome beverage, the 2015 festival is sure to delight and enthral. Participants can immerse themselves in the culture of tea, with taste-testing and buying options to suit every palate. But the Sydney Tea Festival offers much more than just tea…

The festival is an interactive and engaging event designed for seasoned tea lovers and newcomers alike. There are educational workshops, free talks, tasting events and even a tea meditation event. Essentially, there is something for everyone! But for those after something a little less demanding and exhaustive, the festival offers easy access to a wide range of specialty teas and vendors.

More than fifty specialist stalls and producers participate in the event, and the ‘Tea Market’ is a fantastic way to learn everything you can about a substance that is adored the world over. Local food trucks and stalls will offer guests a variety of scrumptious meals and tea-appropriate snacks. And for those wishing to participate in day-long taste-testing, a $4.00 ‘tasting cup’ is also available upon entry! What could be better?

Ticketed sessions offer everything from informative workshops to entertaining discussions on the finer points of tea. Participants can learn about the production and proper preparation of tea, along with some other culturally interesting facets of tea culture, for example its relaxing nature and history. Tickets for the fascinating events can be purchased online through Eventbrite; but be sure to plan ahead and book your tickets well in advance!

For a wonderful day full of fun, flavour and folly, make sure you visit this year’s Sydney Tea Festival. It is a family-friendly event, so be sure to bring the little ones along for a dose of inner-city culture!

What: The Sydney Tea Festival 2015.
Where: Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh.
When: 16th of August, 2015.
For more information visit: http://www.sydneyteafestival.com.au/

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The famous town plaque…

The idyllic Queensland city of Toowoomba is once again preparing for its nationally famous Carnival of Flowers. For locals and visitors from abroad, the festival is one of the highlights of the year. With private and public garden exhibits, floricultural workshops and the Grand Central Floral Parade, the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers is an event like no other!

From Friday the 18th to Sunday the 27th of September, Toowoomba comes alive as thousands of tourists flock to the quaint city. Located just outside of Brisbane, Toowoomba is a short trip by car or by bus. For 66 years, the festival has attracted lovers of gardening and floriculture, as well as other locals and tourists who happen to be in the region. Each year, more than 50,000 participants line Toowoomba’s streets to see the famous parade march through the downtown area. This year, celebrations are expected to be bigger and better than ever.

At this year’s Australian Tourism Awards, the festival was awarded the Gold medal for the Festivals & Events category. For those who’ve been, it’s easy to understand why: the city comes alive with hundreds of parks and thousands of blooms coming into season, colouring the small city in an inimitable way. Visiting the famous Ergon Energy Flower, or ambling through the crowds at the Food & Wine Festival, one gets a sense for old-world Australia and its many serene charms.

There will be plenty of family-friendly events, free live music, organised tours and delectable eating options, along with street artists, live theatrical performances and community events designed to engage with the locals. All in all, it’s a wonderful event brimming with life and Australian character – so be sure not to miss out!

What: The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers
When: Friday the 18th to Sunday the 27th of September, 2015.
Where: Toowoomba, 125km west of Brisbane, Queensland.

For more information visit http://www.tcof.com.au. There you’ll find detailed maps, visitor’s guides and a program of the major events on offer.

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The unique Alice Desert Festival

Australia is a culturally diverse country, brimming with an array of wondrous sights and activities. But there’s no better way to get a unique insight into Australian culture than to attend one of our many fascinating festivals. Boasting everything from scrumptious delicacies to unique musical offerings, here are four favourite festivals for the second half of 2015!

The Margaret River Gourmet Escape
When: 20th to 22nd November, 2015
Where: Margaret River, WA

The Margaret River Wine Region is world renowned for its much loved wine varieties and fine food experiences. As such, the Gourmet Escape Festival is a food and wine lover’s paradise. With events planned across the three days, visitors and guests are treated to a roster of food talent from places as diverse as Russia, Chile, Thailand and elsewhere. With food-based events, free entertainment and plenty of wonderful food stalls, the Margaret River Gourmet Escape Festival is a must-attend culinary delight!

The Taste of Tasmania Festival
When: 28th December, 2015 to 3rd January,  2016
Where: Hobart, TAS

With news of Tasmania’s world-conquering produce industry hitting the headlines, the Taste of Tasmania Festival 2015 is sure to be one of the year’s best food events! Held across a series of venues in the historic Hobart waterfront area, the festival promotes the quality of Tasmanian produce and highlights the very best in fresh food and other goods. With numbers of visitors reaching well into the hundreds of thousands, the festival takes advantage of the end of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. So consider it the perfect addition to a refreshing end-of-year holiday!

The Brisbane Festival
When: 5th to 26th September,  2015
Where: Brisbane, QLD

A major international arts festival, The Brisbane Festival is undeniably one of the state’s premier arts events. The September event is a family friendly and truly refreshing festival of all things artistic, bringing together the best in music, dance and circus ! Since 2009, the Brisbane Festival has enlivened the world-famous city with its eclectic mix of the uplifting and the challenging- so be sure not to miss out on this year’s fun!

The Alice Desert Festival
When: 27th August to 6th September,  2015
Where: Alice Springs, NT

A characteristic and charming Aussie festival, the Alice Desert Festival is the best way to acquaint yourself with the nation’s exotic, desert-based cultures. Boasting a line-up of local and international artists, the festival also offers many community based events and opportunities for family outings.

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