Christmas hijacked the words 'festive' and 'merry' and drowned them in forced cheer, family arguments and more calls than the Samaritans can handle. However, festive actually means 'of or relating to a festival' and merry means 'cheerful and lively'; we're bringing back the original meanings (original stuff is always best).
So if you're Down Under this March and are fed up with Australian politicians throwing hissy fits over who's leading the party or who ate all the cake (clearly Kevin Rudd), go and get merry and festive at some of the best festivals and events going down in March.
Merry festivus!
If you're in New South Wales at the minute and fancy a flick or two, the Byron Bay International Film Festival takes place between the 2nd and the 11th. Featuring award films from over 35 countries, more than 100 individual films will be screened throughout the city with many featuring workshops and introductions from the filmmakers.
She gets paid millions of dollars to look
this stupid, you'd just get (deservedly)
beaten up
If you fancy yourself as a bit of a fashion nut then first off, you never look as good as you think and someone else will always be looking better in the same shoes as you but more importantly, the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival takes place between the 8th and the 15th and offers you the chance to see some of the fashions no one but that girl you hate will be able to afford for at least a year.
Do you know how much vinegar you'd need
from one of those stings?
Most of Australia has got stuff going on through March so wherever you are you won't be missing out but Canberra is the best place to be as the Canberra Festival kicks off. More than 50 events take place over the festival's 17 days and includes park symphonies, fireworks, films and, best of all, a gigantic balloon spectacular when balloons of all shapes and sizes take to the air to engage in a furious battle of gentle bumping.
You might agree that so far these listings, while still awesome, have tended to err on the gentler side of the fun scale and although they may offer some great days out, hardly offer much opportunity to have so much fun you hope you won't remember most of it later.
You can change all that though on the 9th when WOMADelaide kicks off in Botanic Park, featuring some of the best acts from around the world as well the chance to get so drunk and sun burnt you'll never want to leave.
If you can't get to Adelaide, or are in Adelaide but WOMADelaide isn't quite far enough off the chain, then the Future Festival might just be for you. With events across Australia, plenty of huge acts including The Wombats, Swedish House Mafia, Fatboy Slim and New Order.
Events are held in Brisbane (3rd), Perth (4th), Sydney (10th), Melbourne (11th) and Adelaide (12th).
Lastly but by no means leastly (that is a saying, from now on), the Melbourne International Comedy Festival gets underway at the end of the month. Held from the 28th of March ‘til the 22nd of April at various venues across the city, the best comedians head to Australia for one of the most famous and well respected comedy festivals in the world.
- Dominic Ladden-Powell is Online Editor with the Australian Visa Bureau, an independent migration consultancy specialising in helping people lodge applications for a Working Holiday Visa to Australia.
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