No time to read? Watch this video we took of our time at the 2018 Canberra Moon Festival…

The Canberra Moon Festival is the celebration of a traditional Autumn Asian festival. This year it was held over three days in late September at Exhibition Park (EPIC) in Canberra. Over 60,000 visitors were expected during the course of the weekend.

Commencing with an official opening ceremony and VIP lunch in the Coorong Pavilion, the Canberra Moon Festival featured Asian food, cultural performances and modern entertainment.

Entertainment and food

A costume night and also a talent show were just some of the festival’s 2018 features.

A giant mooncake was on display for photo opportunities inside the main pavilion, and outside an avenue of international food and drinks offered the chance to sample different traditional tastes.

Visitors were treated to a wide range of exciting entertainment, including Chinese Lion dancers, Dragon dancers, Modern Peking Opera, popular vocalists Lucy Sugerman and Rob Jarrah, Bollywood Dancers, ANU K-Pop dancers and much more.

A Canberra carnival

For the kids there was plenty of fun activities to enjoy, with a Ferris wheel and other fun carnival rides and games.

A local riding school gave pony and horse rides for both adults and children to enjoy.

Traditional storytelling sessions for children were held in a second pavilion, and proved to be very popular.

Oz Harvest

In a clever initiative, visitors to the festival were also invited to bring excess food with them to donate to OzHarvest, who distribute food to the needy in Queanbeyan and Canberra. This was another great way that the Canberra Moon Festival contributed towards the wider community.

The Canberra Moon Festival is an important event on the Canberra calendar – don’t miss this great family-friendly festival!

For more information on the Canberra Moon Festival, go to their official website.

Let’s go Mum were invited VIP guests of the Canberra Moon Festival, however all opinions remain firmly our own

How to get to EPIC, Canberra, ACT

Have you ever been to the Canberra Moon Festival? What was your favourite activity or performance? Tell us in the comments here!

The post Canberra Moon Festival 2018 appeared first on Let's go Mum.

No time to read? Watch this video we took of our time at the Echuca Olde Penny Arcade…

The Olde Penny Arcade at Sharp’s Magic Movie House is located in Echuca, a busy little town which shares the Victorian/New South Wales border with its twin town on the NSW side, Moama.

Even though it had been many years since I had last visited Echuca, I had always remembered the Penny Arcade as a fascinating and unique attraction. In revisiting, it completely lived up to my expectations – this is such a fun place for the whole family!

At the Penny Arcade you’ll find vintage movies playing in the old-fashioned cinema area, and a huge collection of antique games to play with in the games area. All of the machines are beautifully preserved and in great working order, which is amazing considering their age!

What are the Penny Arcade machines like?

To operate each machine you must first purchase a container of genuine old Australian Pennies. Then off you go – it’s all you’ll need to play.

The Penny Arcade is full of curious oddities! Try your luck on the claw machine, built in the 20’s in Chicago, to see if you can win a bag of popcorn (works every time!). The mystic Fortune telling gypsy dispenses a fortune card. Then there is the strength tester, the electricity machine (I fell for that one!), the firehouse, the learn to be a pilot game, find out what your true personality is, and many more – this is old-time fun of a very special kind.

There’s something really wonderful about watching the kids enjoying playing with the old machines too. Simple ball games, spinning predictor machines, flicking-card stop motion machines – the children were having an absolute ball. No ipads or playstations here, yet they were so engaged with what they were doing.

In all my travels, I can’t remember coming across anything like the Penny Arcade. It really is like stepping back in time. If you are visiting Echuca, don’t miss this special gem of a family attraction!

Let’s go Mum were hosted guests of the Echuca Olde Penny Arcade, however all opinions remain firmly our own

How to get to Echuca / Moama, Victoria

Have you ever been to the Echuca Olde Penny Arcade? What did you think? Tell us in the comments here!

The post Family fun at the Echuca Olde Penny Arcade appeared first on Let's go Mum.