The Night Market at Queen Vic
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Wed 06 Nov 2013 - Wed 26 Mar 2014
The Queen Victoria Market has always been a Melbourne favourite from loading up your vegetables on a cold winter's morning for soup making, to buying limes for your summer G&Ts.
But the Queen Vic by night has a totally different feel. It's more vibrant - more like a party with 20, 000 other people.
Lots of people prefer the night market (both customers and shop keepers). After sixteen years it has become a Melbourne institution in its own right, even entering the
Victorian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame , as it was crowned Best Event three times in a row (2010-2012).
It happens nearly every Wednesday night from November the 6th through to March 26th.
The food stalls have always been a huge draw-card but this year the market is promising the best line-up of food stalls ever.
It will be a multicultural extravaganza with hawker style food from all over the world.
And by hawker I mean cheap and tasty and usually around the $5 - $10 or less mark.
Think Indian, Ethiopian, Asian, Nepalese, Turkish, African curries and Belgian waffles. You could, if you put your mind to it, eat your way around the world one dish at a time - but I suggest you take several Wednesdays to accomplish this.
Two food items that attract long queues are the tornado potatoes and the Spanish paella.
The curly potatoes are a popular Korean street food. Large spuds are cut into spirals (as you do with an apple), put on a skewer, then fried until golden and crispy. They are so long that little kids are dwarfed by them.
Another really popular dish is the paella (a saffron-infused rice dish) cooked in large pans called "paellera." The aroma is sensational and there are lots of options like chicken & chorizo, vegetable and seafood. You can wash it down with a glass of sangria. Especially when it is a hot thirsty night it's the perfect combination.
If you have overseas visitors you might want to get them to try crocodile, kangaroo or emu burgers. It's amazing what's on offer.
The tip to getting your first choice of ethnic cuisine and avoiding the queues is to get there as early as you can preferably around 5.30pm. Eat first and then browse the market stalls and enjoy the entertainment; perhaps while you sip on a nice cocktail from one of the many bars.
Oh, and take cash so you don't get caught out having to queue at the ATMs which always have incredibly long lines.
The market stalls are also a little different than the day market offerings. There is an emphasis on vintage items, local clothes designers, creative artisans and craft stalls selling things like soaps, and jewellery.
There is also an emphasis on health and healing with massages and reflexology on offer.
You can even get a tarot reading.
As for party music there's plenty on offer. You'll find lots of local bands playing across three stages so you can mosey around until you find the right sound track to serenade your perfect summer evening.
#kids
#family
#markets
#music
#nightlife
#north_melbourne
#north
#november
#december
#january
#february
!date 06/11/2013 -- 26/03/2014
%wnmelbourne
126406 - 2023-06-13 03:16:25