A triangle of inner city seaside land in the Melbourne suburb of St. Kilda is being transformed with small bars, food stalls, a huge tent to host shows, sideshows and rides - and even an ice rink. Welcome to MAP 57 - St Kilda’s Winter Garden.
Presented by The Gardeners of Unearthly Delights - who provide a highlight of the annual Adelaide Fringe - and supported by the City of Port Phillip, the organisers say the event will be the winter destination for Melbourne's inner-south in 2017.
Among the well-known celebrities and acts to make an appearance will be the Black Sorrows, Fiona O’Loughlin and Ross Wilson & The Peaceniks. Headline act is Blanc de Blanc, a blend of circus and cabaret.
Running from the 15th of June to 30 July, St Kilda’s Winter Garden is expected to welcome many thousands of visitors over its duration.
A challenge for the organisers was internet access to coordinate and run the event. This has been taken care of by local ISP Lightning Broadband, which has implemented the required connectivity in record time.
"We're delivering a flexible and very fast solution - 100 Mbps download and upload speeds with unlimited data - and all installed within a day," said Lightning Broadband CEO Jeremy Rich. Connectivity at the site was switched on yesterday in preparation for next week.
Lightning Broadband delivers superfast speeds using a mix of fibre and wireless technology, and without a need for the NBN. Over the past few months, the company has been kept busy with installations at various apartment buildings throughout Melbourne and hopes to roll out its home and business solutions further afield later this year.
General admission to St Kilda’s Winter Garden is free, but the organisers warn at busy times entry to the site could be restricted and there may be a queue. However, in that situation, ticketholders should head for the priority entry queue. As parking is limited at the site, public transport is also recommended.
More information on what's happening at St Kilda’s Winter Garden can be viewed on the MAP 57 website.
