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The White Hat Guide to the Moomba Festival

The Moomba Festival was first held in 1955 and has been a significant part of Melbourne life since then. Like most festivals, it has changed its nature over the years, but most festivals have featured a major parade, stalls and rides and culminated with fireworks. It is held on the Labour Day weekend each year. Labour Day grew out of the Eight Hours Day holiday but you will find little or no reference to that at Moomba.

White Hat believes the naming of the festival to have resulted from a subtle Aboriginal joke on the whitefella organisers, but have never been able to completely verify this

In recent years the Moomba Festival has been renamed the Moomba Waterfest but it will probably take a few years before Melbournians recognise it by the new name. It is claimed to be the largest free community festival in Australia. Through some clever planning it usually coincides with the start of the Formula I Grand Prix festivities, so those in Melbourne for the car race think the fireworks are for the visitors while the locals think they are for the locals.

Moomba Waterfest Melbourne's long running community festival featuring rides, activities and entertainment in Birrarung Marr and the Alexandra Gardens and this year also featuring special activities at the Docklands on the Sunday. Highlights include the Birdman Rally at noon on Sunday in Birrarung Marr, water skiing on the Yarra, the Moomba Parade along Swanston street at 11am on Monday and fireworks over the Yarra at 9.30pm on each of of Saturday, Sunday & Monday nights. 6 to 9 March 2009 -

Moomba Waterfest Carnival The traditional rides and stalls associated with Moomba celebrations. Birrarung Marr -

Moomba Waterfest
8—10 March 2008
Enquiries: (03) 9658 9658