Top 9 Things to Eat, Shop and Do at 2017 Queen Vic Winter Market
Pooja Sadhwani
Looking to immerse yourself in winter’s full glory this season Down Under? The wondrous atmosphere of the 2017 Queen Victoria Winter Market should do just the trick. Filled with cozy open fires, deluxe food tastings, unique shops, and the wildest entertainment you will find, the market will leave you spellbound by the glowing neon lights and the hazy red smoke that spread across its main hall. This year’s theme, “fire and light”, brings Melbourne’s finest dining, shopping, and entertainment options together for your pleasure. Here are some of our personalized Ovolo favorites. But don’t procrastinate, the market’s only around until 30 August. So don’t miss out!
Food
Paco’s Tacos
Taco lovers will be in awe of Movida’s Paco’s Tacos at the Winter Market this year. This favorited bar and taqueria serves the finest Mexican street food in Melbourne, with filling options ranging from carne, pollo, pescado, calamar, and carnitas for meat lovers, to their famous black bean and chilli filled verduras for vegetarians. The best part? Most of the options are naturally gluten free and some are even vegan, adhering to several dietary restrictions! Be sure to also try their famous cinnamon-sugar coated churros, drizzled in their special Mexican chocolate sauce.
That’s Amore Cheese
Smooth, creamy, and soft – Melbourne’s finest artisan cheese shop is featuring their favorite dairy creations integrated into a full, three course meal. Their main dish is a “Pasta 4 Formaggi” or a four cheese pasta, using their highly acclaimed ricotta, bocconcini, scamorza, and parmesan cheese, tossed in a 40 kilogram parmiggiano cheese wheel. Other options include the gnocchi sorrentina in Napoli sauce and bocconcini, as well as a fior di latte mozzarella and baby spinach wrap, toasted to perfection.
ReWine
Mulled wine is always a Christmas favorite, and now at the Queen Victoria Winter Market, you can enjoy a cup of Melbourne’s best! Their wine is crafted using the most traditional spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg, added with their own special twist of pure vanilla beans, chili, orange juice, and raw sugar. Make sure to grab a few glasses for your friends, too.
Shopping
Flamin’ Signs and Boxes
At night markets, the best shops are always the non-mainstream ones- the small stores that sell their handcrafted, unique goods that you can only get from there, and nowhere else in the world. At Flamin’ Signs and Boxes, you will be in awe at the array of their custom wood burnt timber signs and plaques, trinket sized jewelry boxes, and wood burnt art boxes that they have created. These boxes can even be transformed into a thoughtful personalized gift, with options to engrave and add your own images to each set.
Eden and Sloane
Another personalized gift option, Eden and Sloane create semiprecious crystal jewelry, all carefully hand cut and set perfectly. At Eden and Sloane, the beauty in their jewelry is that no two pieces will ever look the same. Although none are similar, all have their own elements of beauty that come together to form Eden and Sloane’s image. Be sure to pick up a special trinket at the weekly Pop Up Zone!
Aleppo Style
Anyone who visits Turkey always comes back with a piece of their finest cashmere and pure silk scarves. This winter, wrap yourself in an original piece sent straight from the land of the ancient silk road, with options in over 50 different designs and colors. With all this variety, it is inevitable that everyone will find the perfect scarf for themselves.
Entertainment
Silent Disco
Burn off the calories from the tacos, cheesy pasta, and mulled wine by attending this fabulous Silent Disco! Despite the music not being blasted out loud, these parties are more of a rave than you may think. Headphones will be distributed to each person and 70’s, 80’s and 90’s music will be played specifically for you, allowing you to dance and show your moves in any way you possibly can.
Roving Entertainment
What is a night market without Melbourne’s local and enthusiastic street performers? Fire twirlers, fire blowing trumpeters and neon hoola-hoopers will be surprising you with their acts this winter, with a changing weekly line up for variety each Wednesday! Be sure to look out for them, their work is truly outstanding.
Afroviral
Bringing the stories of the Kalahari Desert and Kalimba to you, Afroviral are excellent at showing their world through each note and lyric of their music. They often combine their music beats with a contemporary play and dance, to really put on a show that you will remember. With only two showings on August 30th, you won’t want to miss out!
Times: 7:45 pm – 8:30 pm / 9:00 pm – 9:45 pm
Pooja Sadhwani is an upcoming third-year student at New York University studying Media, Culture, and Communications with a dual major in Journalism. She was born in New Jersey and later moved to Hong Kong when she was about nine years old. When you don’t see her studying or working at her Ovolo Internship, you will find her hanging out with her friends and exploring the new attractions that the city of Hong Kong has to offer.