Page 67 - Off the Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 1 of 2)

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FESTIVALS
Melbourne Arts Festival AND PARTIES

vs the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

The Melbourne International Arts Festival can rival the artistic quality and cultural variety of the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival – but without the crowds or the struggle for top tickets

companies. Unlike the sprawling, all-embracing cultural ambassadors: the accent is considered
NEED TO KNOW
Edinburgh Fringe, with its hit-and-miss aesthetic, more refined; the main thoroughfare, Collins Street,
LOCATION Melbourne is */%0/&4*" everything here – no matter how avant-garde or has a leafy “Paris End”; and a plethora of theaters
on Australia’s southeast coast,
650 miles (1,040 km) from the *OEJBO %BSXJO experimental – is staged on the merit of its quality. and galleries ensures a healthy arts diet all year.
national capital, Canberra 0DFBO $PSBM The Melbourne Festival offers its visitors a The Melbourne Festival boosts this much-vaunted
4FB
WHEN The festival runs multicultural smorgasbord of dance, theater, reputation with 17 days of ticketed and free events,
for 17 days every October "6453"-*"
opera, music, visual arts, multimedia, and outdoor most of them programmed by a high-profile
VISITORS PER YEAR
Around 475,000 1FSUI events. Each year boasts around 60 to 80 events artistic director on a three- or four-year contract.
"EFMBJEF 4ZEOFZ
DAYTIME $BOCFSSB held in a host of inner-city venues, including the Previous programs have included recitals from
TEMPERATURE .&-#063/& flagship Arts Centre, home to the Playhouse and the classical Schönberg Ensemble; performances by
67°F (19°C) in October
State Theatres, nestled next to the Yarra River and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company; a
topped by Melbourne’s now-iconic spire; The photography exhibition and concert by the
The Melbourne International Arts Festival is Famous Spiegeltent, a European Mirror Tent billed “Godmother of Punk,” artist and musician Patti
Australia’s foremost celebration of global performing as “the ultimate cabaret and music salon,” which is Smith, as well as a collaborative event with the
and visual arts. Established in 1986 as a sister festival pitched in the Arts Centre forecourt for the composer Philip Glass; and a performance by the
to the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy (see duration; and the National Gallery of Victoria, with all-star indigenous Australian collective, the Black
pp268–9), and the Spoleto Festival USA, in Charleston, its striking “water wall” and stained-glass ceiling. Arm Band. As a background to the live shows, an In
South Carolina (whose “two worlds” are those of Federation Square acts as the central point of Conversation discussion series offers insights into
European and American culture), the festival was the festivities, and the opening and closing parties the thoughts of many extraordinary artistes. There
first known as the Spoleto Festival Melbourne but are held in this colorful open-plan space. Both are also workshops in dance, theater and music,
took on its current name in 2003. Today, it is events celebrate the artists, the audiences, and the lectures, and school and family events. With
renowned for premiering and promoting some of multicultural city of Melbourne itself. Melburnians entertainment for night owls at the Beck’s Bar,
the best national and international artistes and have long prided themselves on being Australia’s Artist Bar, and The Famous Spiegeltent, the
Melbourne Festival is as inclusive as it is inspiring.

FORGET “THE FRINGE”? PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Getting There and Around Bar & Grill is hard to beat (www.
THE BUILD-UP The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is officially the
Most major international airlines rockpool.com.au).
largest arts festival in the world. For three hectic weeks each
fly to Melbourne’s Tullamarine
August, “The Fringe,” as it is known, encompasses over 30,000 Airport, 14 miles (22 km) from Where to Stay
performances by hundreds of groups, spanning theater, stand-up, the city center. Take a taxi or the The Grand Hyatt is on stylish
music, dance and children’s entertainment in around 250 venues. 24-hour Skybus into Melbourne. Collins St (www.melbourne.
grand.hyatt.com); the central
The city center is a neat grid on Hotel Lindrum has a club-like
THE LETDOWN Huge crowds mill along Edinburgh’s Royal the Yarra River, compact but with ambience (www.hotellindrum.
Mile to watch street performers, buy tickets from the Fringe good public transportation too.
com.au); Crown Promenade on
Shop, and amass flyers for shows. Well-reviewed shows sell out Where to Eat Southbank is smart and
very early, leaving a choice of less-than-satisfactory alternatives: For exceptional tapas visit affordable (www.
with no selection and approval process, quality varies widely. MoVida (www.movida.com.au); crownpromenade.com.au).
revisit the French classics at
GOING ANYWAY? Take time out to relax on a café terrace, stroll Bistro Guillaume (www. Budget per Day for Two
US$250, including
along the Water of Leith Walkway, or visit the city’s spectacular ABOVE Crowds thronging the streets of Edinburgh bistroguillaume.com.au); or accommodations, meals, and
city center during The Fringe Festival indulge in some haute cuisine at
castle. On the second Sunday in August, head to the large green public transportation.
Vue de Monde (www.
expanse of the Meadows for the carnivalesque Fringe Sunday,
vuedemonde.com.au). For Website
a free showcase of events.
modern Australian food, Rockpool www.melbournefestival.com.au

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