How to spice up Music Fest!

Eleanor Low

Greetings, dear reader! Thank you for clicking on this article. I’ll keep this short and sweet; Music Festival is an awesome day; it is an exciting time where you can gather in a breathtaking concert room in the city with mighty-high ceilings. You can put on a show for the thousands, donning only your school’s finest dresses and pretty hair ribbons. In one breath, Music Fest really is amazing, and it never gets old.

This week, I’ve taken special care to note down all my secrets and indulgences that I find myself doing (and thoroughly enjoying!) during the Music Fest period - and I’ve (nervously) decided that I will give them all away to you. So, I suppose without any more dilly-dallying, here are some extra cherries-on-top type activities that I absolutely love doing during Music Fest!

1. Bring treats to share with friends

Bringing snacks to share - whether that be chips, gummies, sour worms, M&Ms, Kit Kats, is strongly recommended by me, a seasoned snack critic. And I mean, it’s a special night, so pair it with some delicious snacks!

2. Stay at a hotel

Okay, this one is a tad pricey, but do NOT underestimate its awesomeness. This has to be one of my most favourite things about Music Festival: after the concert shuffling over to your family with your oh-so-heavy-you-could-be-a-weightlifter bags, and driving a mere block away to your shiny hotel room, sprawling yourself on your beautiful mattress like a glob of Nutella, and not budging till morning. It’s glorious! You could even coordinate a hotel with your friends, or, if you somehow still have energy, let them come over to your room. Having a hotel room is also very useful for dumping your bags in the early afternoon and getting changed from your sport uniform to your polished school uniform for the concert, so, boom, you’re killing two birds with one hotel.

3. A sleepover, or carpooling, or why not both!

This one is pretty self-explanatory, but I've never done either of these before; usually, I’m so exhausted that after the concert I don’t feel like interacting with, like, anybody. Still, it’s an interesting idea for those of you who might want to try it - do tell me if you do, though!

4. Plan out your day

If you’re like me, and you enjoy some classic spontaneity instead of having to actually think about what you’re doing, then toughen up, cause, we’re gonna plan anyway! It’s more deliberation-free this way. I find that there is so much to do surrounding the ICC that it’s kind of easy to get a tad overwhelmed or unsure about what to do at all. If you’re out with friends it is even more important to coordinate. Plus, it gets me all pumped up about the fun I’m going to have!

5. Trying weird foods

Okay, well, ‘weird’ is a little judgemental here. But truuuust me, you’ll grow to love it if you’re feeling apprehensive about this one. You like food, right? Then why not take advantage of this delightful spread of food readily available in Australia, heralding from many different cultures, countries and techniques?

I believe trying new foods is best done with your eyes closed, so then it’s more about the taste and texture than appearances. It’s worth a try: you may never come across another spiced cow-bone marrow curry, or thoughtfully-cooked duck liver, or pumpkin parfaits, crème fraîche (a hard find in Australia), roasted apple bomboloni, capers, caviar, crane (yes, I said crane) and herring with kohlrabi sauce, partridge roasted with fenugreek and cumin (and positioned as if they were still in flight…). The options are practically limitless, and you gain a sense of appreciation for the food that you’re eating.

And even if you try something and don’t like it, you now have a good story to tell the next time your grandma asks you whether you’ve ever had stuffed quail on a stick before. Then, you sound suuuuper experienced, being able to say, “oh hahaha, why yes, of course I’ve tried baked hedgehog before! *chortle* you’d have to be an absolute buffoon to not have tried such a delicacy!”.

It’s even better when someone else pays the bill, too.

6. Finding the best places to hang with yer gang, and guard yer treasure!

Arrrg, somethin’ worth a-considering would be where to store ya loot! Blimey, if I ever see such a thing as unguarded treasures, I’ll bet my peg-leg and prime-pirate cutlass that there is somethin’ afoot. Me hearties!

Okay, okay, I’ll drop the pirate accent. But it does serve a purpose: where some see a barren wasteland of a communal city space, others see a habitat of jewels, fortune, riches and possibility. The area surrounding ICC has many uses too, it’s not just a place to store your treasure (AKA: the treasure of memories and friendship with yer friends). Here are a few places I particularly enjoy:

• That nice gelato place situated very close to the ICC entrance

• The big grassy park, complete with trees, bushes, a nice artificial pond, and a kids playground

• The artificial pond; it has stepping stones!

• The restaurant underneath the ICC entrance stairs, although all the restaurants in the area are top notch, I must say

• The big wheel, comes with printed photos

*contented sigh* Music Fest tastes sweeter than sugar, don’t it? And these nifty tricks were, well, pretty nifty, weren’t they? And do you like rhetorical questions? I’ll answer these on your behalf: yeah, duh.

I'll be real here, these were the best tips and fun activities I could think of for this year’s Music Fest, so take my advice and do with it what you will. If you’ve made it this far, then congratulations! If you see me any time on Music Festival day, be sure to mention that you’ve read this article and I’ll give you a lolly.