Appreciating the fab four’s beat
Where: Louis Joel Arts and Community Centre, 5 Sargood Street, Altona.
When: 1.30-3.30pm, Monday May 16
Beatles fans are being invited to come together for a special presentation in Altona on Monday. John Dawson will host a two-hour session looking at The Beatles songs from the first to last – Love Me do to the aptly named, The End. The free event is called The BEAT, which stands for Beatle Enthusiasts Appreciation Thingie.
Silvers Circus at Bacchus Marsh
Where: Rotary Park, Lerderderg Street, Bacchus Marsh
When: Until Sunday May 15
Gisborne-based Silvers Circus will bring its world-travelling performances to town for five days. Among the spectacular acts to be featured in the two-hour shows will be a “pocket rocket” spinning up to 100 hula hoops at once, motorcyclists speeding inside the 3.5-metre “globe of death”, the Comedy Clowns and illusionist Simon Tait. Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com.au
Vintage display at Gisborne steam show
Where: Steam Park at Webb Crescent, New Gisborne
When: 9am – 3pm, Sunday, May 15
Organisers hope that people will replace the hum and glow of electronic devices with the huff and puff of steam engines, if only for a day, at the Gisborne Vintage Machinery Society’s annual rally this Sunday. Tickets: $10 adults, children free. Click here for more details.
Sunbury goes country for charity
Where: Sunbury Memorial Hall, Sunbury Memorial Hall
When: 7pm, Saturday, May 14
Ten-gallon hats, cowboy boots and masses of double denim will make Sunbury Memorial Hall look more like the heart of Texas this Saturday with More than 150 people are expected to pack the hall for Sunbury Rotary Club’s annual country and western charity night. Tickets: $15 (includes tea and coffee. BYO supper). Click here for more details.
Human rights film festival goes west
Where: Footscray Community Arts Centre
When: 2-4pm, Saturday May 14
For the first time, the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival (HRAFF) arrives in Footscray to celebrate the stories of our newest Australians in HRAFF Goes West: Seeking Refuge. The free Footscray Community Arts Centre (FCAC) event kicks off with a performance by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre’s music group, followed by a selection of short films from the festival’s 2016 line-up and a panel discussion.Free, but bookings essential: 2016.hraff.org.au/event/hraff-goes-west
Crafty women come to Ballan
Where: Ballan Mechanics Hall
When: 9am to 3.30pm, Saturday May 14
Ballarat and Districts Country Women’s Association traditionally hosts the CWA Art and Crafts Exhibition in Ballarat, but more than 500 entrants will this year occupy the Mechanics Hall in Ballan for the first time in the exhibition’s 70-year history.
Pitching the Australian dream
Where: Footscray Community Arts Centre
When: Until Saturday May 14
The Australian dream of home ownership is under the microscope in Footscray this week as part of the 2016 Next Wave Festival. Shadows on the Hill, by Perth artist Dan McCabe, features a tent shaped like an early 1990s station wagon that has been designed to blend into the urban landscape. Festival details: nextwave.org.au