Christmas in July Is Back at the Queen Vic: Fake Snow, Mulled Wine, Fire Pits
Every Wednesday night until late August, the Queen Victoria Market turns into a winter night market. In July it gets carollers, ice sculpting and fake snow. Entry is free.
Christmas is in six months. Also, Christmas is on Wednesday. Both things are true at the Queen Victoria Market, where the winter night market runs every Wednesday evening, and July brings the full Christmas-in-July treatment.
From now until late August, the Queen Vic lights up after dark on Wednesdays from 5pm: fire pits, mulled wine, hot food from dozens of stalls, and live music, with the heaters doing the heavy lifting. Entry is free. In July, it tips into Christmas mode, with carollers, ice sculpting and, yes, fake snow.
Why it is the easiest plan in the city
No booking. No ticket. No agenda. You turn up, you eat something hot, you stand around a fire pit, you leave when you are done. It is the lowest-effort, highest-warmth night out Melbourne does in winter, which is exactly what makes it good for a group that can never agree on anything.
The best winter plans are the ones with no booking, no plan, and a fire pit to stand around.
How to do it
Go hungry, go on a Wednesday, and go with whoever will come. Bring cash for the stalls that want it, layer up because the market is open-sided, and do not over-plan it. The mulled wine is the agenda. Time Out keeps a running list if you want more.
The market has been the city's living room for 150 years. In winter, it just adds a fire.
Filed for The Dispatch. Wren follows the smell of a good feed through Melbourne's markets and back lanes.
