The decorations are up and the jingles have started playing: yep, we’re well and truly approaching Christmas. And there’s one section of the city that’s really getting into the festival cheer.
Over in Flinders Quarter (the area of the CBD bordered by Collins, Swanston, Flinders and Elizabeth Streets), they're hosting the Festival of Independents. That means they're decking the halls with art, photo opportunities, shopping deals and music, and filling an underground Christmas arcade with pine trees and lights.
No, we don’t mean underground as in “secret”. We mean literally underground. Flinders Quarter is transforming Melbourne’s famous subterranean shopping strip, Campbell Arcade, into a Christmas-themed retail wonderland. The 1950s arcade will have 12 pine trees (one for each of the 12 days of Christmas) as well as a Christmas light installation.
Above ground, the Festival of Independents is suspending an ephemeral, bespoke wreath over Degraves Street. Created by local artists Wona Bae and Charlie Lawler from Loose Leaf design studio, the wreath is part of the studio’s ‘Hover Wreath’ series that began in 2017 and has been shown as far afield as the UK, Japan and South Korea. The wreath will appear to hover over Degraves Street through the power of Christmas magic (or more likely, clever design).
Those gifted with either musical talent or sheer confidence can even try their hand at banging out a few jingles. Flinders Quarter (in collaboration with Arts Centre Melbourne) will be home to one of Melbourne’s few remaining ‘Play Me I’m Yours’ street pianos. The public is invited to play a few songs (Christmassy or otherwise) on the piano, which you’ll find outside Grill’d on Degraves Street. There will even be a program of performances from local musicians, with Melbourne’s own ‘Piano Lady’, Natalie Trayling, kicking off the action on Friday November 29.
Finally, if you’re looking for a different sort of Santa photo, the Festival of Independents has something in store for you. They’ve teamed up with La La Land and EyeJack to create three different augmented reality (AR) art walls throughout the precinct – they’re the perfect backdrop for a seasonal selfie. Download the EyeJack app and select the Flinders Quarter Festival of Independents event to get snapping.
The Festival of Independents Christmas will also be offering deals for the full 15 days of the event – follow the Flinders Quarter Instagram page to stay updated. The Festival of Independents runs from November 29 to December 13.