This December Melbourne has many Festive Christmas events that are happening throughout the city to delight families, visitors and locals alike. Les Clefs d’Or Concierge Paul Rumpff brings you his recommendations and what’s on tips for great events not to be missed this Summer.
At Federation Square some very passionate LEGO builders have built a LEGO Christmas tree which is the largest in the southern hemisphere. This tree using just over half a million lego bricks stands taller than a two storey house. Visitors will also have the chance to build your own LEGO decorations to take home with you.
Every year The Myer Animated Christmas Windows are very popular with an estimated viewing of around 1.2 million people each year. This year’s theme is showcasing the story of the book “Little Dog and the Christmas Wish”. A very Melbourne edition of these windows featuring Backdrops such as Flinders Street Station, The Neon Skipping Girl Sign and The Block Arcade. The windows run from 7:30am to around 1am each day located in the Bourke Street Mall.
The Melbourne Town Hall has two very festive things on. In the morning and the afternoon for just a dollar coin donation to the charity “Make a wish, kids can wander through the Gingerbread Village showcasing a house or Iconic Melbourne Structure, warning they could be very tempting to eat! In the evening running from 9PM to 10:45PM is the spectacular Animated Lightshow showing the 12 Days of Christmas alongside some Melbourne Icons screened on the outside structure of the Town Hall.
For the art inclined and gallery lover , possibly the biggest international collaboration of art that has ever to come to Melbourne, Andy Warhol – Ai WeiWei is running from December 11th to 24th of April 2016 at the National Gallery of Victoria. Many people know of Andy Warhol being the funky hipster from New York this alongside very famous Ai WeiWei the Chinese Contemporary artist and his fascination of cats. In fact both of these artists have a love for cats, with Andy Warhol living in his New York apartment with 25 Cats while Ai Weiwei’s studio had over 30 cats including one called Garfield. This exhibition “Studio Cats” features cat themed activities, very rarely seen drawings from Andy Warhol alongside some film and photographic portraits of both artists love for cats. Weiwei also has a special side exhibition just for kids, reflecting on his interest in cats and their strong sense of independence and their 21st Century Status as “Internet Memes”.
Did I say mention Cats? Well, the acclaimed revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking show CATS comes to Melbourne for a strictly limited season. Based on the Old Possums book of Practical Cats by T.S Eliot’s, the show is set in an over-sized junkyard featuring some old favourite feline characters such as Mr Mistoffelees, Jennyanydots, Macavity, Rum Tum Tugger, Old Deutoeronomy, Skimbleshanks and featuring Delta Goodrem as Grizabella. This is set to be a spectacular show starting at the Regent Theatre from the 18th of December and running through till 10th of January.
When planning your December getaway to Melbourne, consider our range of accommodation packages available at InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto. Click here to view.
