Melbourne Patron

White Night , according to its website, was conceived in Paris in 2002 as Nuit Blanche , and has since expanded its program to over 20 other cities worldwide. Melbourne was the first Australian city to hold a White Night in 2013, and the inaugural event attracted over a quarter of a million attendees. City of Melbourne's White Night 2014 flags I first heard of White Night just before its Melburnian debut last year, but was sadly unable to go. I was entranced by my friends' pictures, posted on social media, of well-known public spaces transformed by light and colour - much like scenes you'd find at one of my favourite Melbourne events: the annual Gertrude Street Projection Festival . But White Night, as I understood, was bigger (being held across a number of public spaces), longer (running for 12 hours, from 7pm to 7am), more central (being in the CBD), and offered an array of further attractions. Despite not understanding the name at all (white? but it's so colo...

If you've read my blog before, you'll know how often I bemoan the lack of awesome, accessible Asian food in Melbourne (distinct as separate Asian cuisines) at everyday prices. One of the things I missed most about Sydney after moving to Melbourne was the Good Food Month Night Noodle Markets , held in Hyde Park every year since I was a teenager in the '90s. A central location, pretty lanterns, chilled music, and a few plastic chairs and tables was all that was needed to accompany a bunch of stalls selling noodles or grog to make what I consider a Perfect Night Out. So you can imagine my excitement when it was announced that this year's Good Food Month would be introducing Melbourne's inaugural Night Noodle Markets in Alexandra Gardens. Wheeeeeeeeee! Along with half of Melbourne, I attended its first evening last night (Monday). Here are my observations. 1.  Expect a crowd.  Melburnians really like food events, outdoor events, pop-up events, and anything c...