One of Melbourne’s best festivals, Market Week, is back for 2015, running from September 5 – 13.
Celebrating Melbourne’s amazing market culture, unrivaled anywhere in the world, Market Week 2015 has taken on an inspiring new theme, Shop Well, Eat Well, Live Well’. All four of Melbourne’s major markets, Queen Victoria Market, South Melbourne Market, Prahran Market and Dandenong Market, will join forces to host a stunning array of more than 50 free events across the week, designed to inspire us to live life wholeheartedly.
The four markets are hosting their own jam-packed schedule including family fun, free tastings and tours, festivals, quirky competitions, giveaways and more. Embrace the wholesome community that is the Markets of Melbourne and join in on the celebrations this Market Week!
Stay tuned for more updates and the hottest event picks!
Some of our favourites from the schedule:
The Wellness Festival – South Melbourne Market
Join in the fun at the first South Melbourne Market Wellness Festival. As part of Market Week 2015, they have planned a day full to the brim with activities to encourage living, eating and shopping well. Highlights include; health and wellness tarot readings, herbal tea sampling, free Market tours, Zumba in the market, cooking demonstrations and more.
DATE: September 5
TIME: 8am – 4pm
COST: Free
The Everyday Superfoods Market Tour – Queen Victoria Market
Learn how to nourish your mind and body using simple everyday superfoods that avoid the ‘health food’ pricetag.
During this free 90 minute tour at Queen Victoria Market you will identify everyday ‘superfoods’, learn about their nutritional and health promoting properties and how they compare with more expensive, exotic counterparts.
DATE: September 5
TIME: 10am – 11.30am
COST: Free
Tough Food Challenge – Dandenong Market
In celebration of Father’s Day, Dandenong Market is hosting the Tough Food Challenge for Market visitors keen to demonstrate their mental and physical prowess.
Dandenong Market will be inviting visitors to participate in three rounds – increasing in difficulty at each level. Entrants will compete to see who can be the first to finish. Round 1 contestants will race to eat a lemon. Round 2 contestants will compete to see who is the first to eat a whole raw onion. The finalists in Round 3 will compete to see who can eat (and keep down) a hot chilli first.
The winner will be crowned the ultimate Tough Food Champion and take home $500 in Dandenong Market vouchers. Registration will take place on the day, please visit Market Square between 11.30am – 12.30pm to register. First come, first served.
(Note: The Dandenong Market Tough Food Challenge is restricted to adults over 18).
DATE: September 6
TIME: 12.30pm-1.30pm
COST: Free
Slow Food Demonstration – Prahran Market
Visit The Kitchen at Prahran Market this Father’s Day as part of Market Week to chat, learn and see how to feed the family using locally sourced Victorian meat, sustainable seafood and seasonal fruit and vegetables. Drop in, ask questions, taste the difference in an informal setting. Demos will include baking bread, making your own sausages and getting back to the basics with your food. There will be a new demo every hour, on the hour.
DATE: September 6
TIME: 11am-3pm
COST: Free
Melbourne’s Best Smoothie Competition – Queen Victoria Market
Fruit and vegetable traders at Queen Victoria Market will battle it out with their prided produce to create their very own signature smoothie recipe, and you get to make it using pedal power. Sample them all and vote for your favourite.
From banana to mango to beetroot and kale – who will create the winning concoction?
DATE: September 8
TIME: 10am – 1pm
COST: Free
BBQ Workshops – Queen Victoria Market
Andrew Richardson from BBQ Workshop is all fired up to host two days of free cooking demonstrations in the Meat Hall at Queen Victoria Market. Focusing on provenance, healthy eating and traditional barbeque methods he’ll be utilising the freshest Market produce to create recipes you can easily recreate at home.
Head down and grill him about his innovative BBQ techniques and tricks of the trade!
DATE: September 10
TIME: 11am – 12pm
COST: Free
The Great Kale Giveaway – South Melbourne Market
To celebrate all things healthy and nourishing this Market Week, Boisdale Best will give away FREE bunches of their home grown kale!
Yes that’s right, they’re giving away kale from their farm in Boisdale Gippsland free for one hour only*.
South Melbourne Market hope you’ll come along and support the farm-gate-to-plate philosophy of Boisdale Best, and take away some of their delicious kale. (*while stocks last, so be sure to get in quick!)
DATE: September 11
TIME: 10am – 11am
COST: Free