The Moomba Festival is a huge outdoor Melbourne festival which had its start in 1954 as a focus of city celebrations and activities. Traditionally it ends with a colorful street parade with floats, costumed participants, and — until 1999 — a crowned Moomba Monarch.
Moomba Monarchs in those days included Olympian Cathy Freeman, singer Marina Prior, TV personality Denise Drysdale and the clowns Zig and Zag.
'Let's get together'
The word Moomba is said to have come from an Aboriginal word meaning Let's get together and have fun.
In 2003, the festival reinvented itself as Melbourne Moomba Waterfest with a large number of its activities occurring on or along Melbourne's Yarra River.
Moomba 2008
In 2008 Moomba Waterfest again brought Melbourne's waterfront to life with four days of free public events.
With a program of old favorites and first-time additions, a vast array of entertainment across Alexandra Gardens, Birrarung Marr and the Waterfront City Piazza at Docklands — Melbourne's newest waterfront destination — attracted thousands of visitors.
There were music, dance, sporting activities, Moomba beach volleyball, fireworks displays, the magical Moomba Parade, "drippledrop" live theatre for children at Artplay, the much loved Berry Street Bath Tub Dash, Stroke Victoria's Beat the Boat Fun Run, Moomba Masters Waterskiing, and the wacky Birdman Rally.
The parade
The Moomba Parade was held from 11am on March 10 (Labor Day in Victoria) along Swanston St from Little Bourke St to Princess Bridge, ending in the St Kilda Rd Service Lane opposite the Arts Centre.
After the parade, celebrations continued throughout the day along the Yarra and other parts of the city.
Yearly activities
Attractions and activities throughout the yearly festival include movies under the stars, singing, dancing and special performances, buskers, clowns, stiltwalkers, waterskiing and wakeboading, and various novelty races on the river.
There's a host of activities for both young and old at a festive carnival time when Melbourne lets its hair down.
