There’s nothing better than a cheeky pint at The Esplanade Hotel as the sun goes down over Port Phillip Bay.
Whenever I think about St Kilda & St Kilda Beach, I get a warm fuzzy feeling about one of Melbourne, no Australia’s premier live music venues, The Espy, and the iconic summer street party that is St Kilda Festival Sunday.
Every year the streets of Melbourne’s bayside suburb are blocked off in preparation for 300,000 – 400,000 people flocking to it’s precinct for 9 days of culture & entertainment. The pinnacle of the event, Festival Sunday, features 8 stages, countless busking performers, open-air cafes, street markets with all sorts of trinkets and restaurants/cafes boasting a delightful array of delicacies from around the world.
As always last Sunday was an amazing day with blue skies and temperatures hitting the mid-thirties (that’s 95 Fahrenheit for all my USA friends), tempered by cool breezes blowing in off Port Phillip Bay. I started the day with Kingswood playing the main stage by the beach on St Kilda foreshore. Smashed a few cheeky ales in the new temporary bar area on the hill and checked out the latest killer tunes by this Melbourne rock band who have been in Nashville recording with Jack White’s producer, Vance Powell (also Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon).
Not wanting to be fenced in all day, myself and my buddy Nick took an American friend along St Kilda Esplanade to show her the iconic sights like the Luna Park, the Palais Theatre, McDonalds, Grey St.. oh wait.. take a few pictures and telling her tales of St Kilda’s history (and our own drunken exploits) before wandering back to The Espy for a drink. Back in 2009, I held my 1st of ever Hot & Delicious event at The Esplanade Hotel’s Gershwin Room, so it holds special memories for me and I love this joint, but $10 cover charge.. where was the music??
After a few cheeky jugs of Bulmers, we were craving the open air and sunshine, so we cruised outside and down along Fitzroy St where we sat in one of St Kilda’s many outdoor eateries, soaked up more cold refreshment, afternoon rays and long chats putting the world to right.
A small part of felt like I should have seen more of the live indie Australian music that St Kilda Festival is known for, but in reality for me this day is all about going with the flow and soaking up what is one of the most fantastic events on the Australian summer calendar…
St Kilda Festival Sunday you complete me.. I feel free.. I feel happy!
Article by Dan Wilkinson. Images of St Kilda Festival vibe captured by fantastic Hot & Delicious shooter, Nikki Williams. Probably the best & most complete St Kilda Festival Sunday gallery that you’ll see.
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Facebook.com/HotnDelicious
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