**Information on Christmas Markets & ‘Lunch & Learn’ sessions below

This festive season, Galleria, a bustling city corner of shops and eateries in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, is celebrating Christmas in a uniquely thoughtful and sustainable way.

Recycled Christmas decorations have been installed throughout the centre utilising reusable materials from retailers and cafés, as well as a giant Melbourne’s Christmas Story book featuring rotating stories of goodwill from Foodbank Victoria, the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Melbourne Animal Rescue and Waverley Industries.

Hide away from Christmas-shopping mayhem and discover simple ways to give back this festive season through free ‘Lunch & Learn’ sessions on Thursdays, 15 and 22 December, where Melburnians can listen to Melbourne’s Christmas Story, learn about unique ways to give a gift to those less fortunate, and discover sustainable ways to celebrate Christmas.

Supporting small Australian business, the Galleria Christmas Market presented by Australian Wine and Food features bespoke food, spirits and wine from southern Australian producers. The market is on from 10am-3pm Thursdays and Fridays until 16 December.

Interior space designer Steph Gooden of One68 recently completed furnishing the ambience upgrade of the centre’s atrium food court. Taking inspiration from the design aesthetic of the new look, Steph designed the Recycled Christmas decorations and Melbourne’s Christmas Story in consultation with Galleria.

“Australians are producing an increasing amount of waste, and are set to spend a record $48 billion on Christmas this year. So we thought of the idea to recycle reusable materials from our retailers for this year’s Christmas decorations. We also wanted to invoke the Christmas spirit of goodwill, which is how Melbourne’s Christmas Story eventuated,” says Lisa Fleming, Galleria’s Regional Centre Manager.

Steph Gooden created Galleria’s Christmas decorations using discarded newspapers from the building’s offices, juice and speciality flavour bottles from the centre’s many great cafés, as well as cardboard boxes from Cycles Galleria, The North Face and the newly opened Kathmandu, which is Australasia’s first Green Star accredited retail store.

“Once we had finalised the design, we outsourced the wrapping of the decorative boxes to Waverley Industries; a not-for-profit organisation that provides employment for intellectually disabled adults,” says Steph Gooden.

The ‘Lunch & Learn’ sessions are held in the quiet haven of Galleria’s newly refurbished atrium food court in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, right opposite Bourke Street Mall. Quick and casual lunches can be purchased from neighbouring eateries such as Black Velvet Café, Kebab World, Tao Vietnamese, Menya Ramen, Famish’d, Oli & Levi, Boost, Thailander, and more. The Christmas markets from Australian Wine and Food will be held in the food court just in time for last minute gift purchasing.

 

For more information on Melbourne’s Christmas Story visit galleria.com.au

 

 

WHAT’S ON INFORMATION

 

‘Lunch & Learn’

Melbourne’s Christmas Story at Galleria

 

‘Building Melbourne’s Christmas Story

When: 1:00pm, Thursday 15 December

Who: Steph Gooden, Designer and Production Manager

One68 Pty Ltd, and Trudi Cummins, Centre and Marketing Manager, Galleria

Location: Galleria food court, 385 Bourke St, corner of Bourke, Elizabeth and Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000. Enter via the main entrance on Bourke St.

Bookings: Free information session. Food at café prices. No booking required.

Details: Gather ideas for creating recycled Christmas decorations, and all about how ‘Melbourne’s Christmas Story’ at Galleria came to be. Affordable lunches can be purchased from neighbouring eateries such as Black Velvet Café, Kebab World, Tao Vietnamese, Menya Ramen, Famish’d, Oli & Levi, Boost, and more.

 

‘Sustainable Melbourne

When: 1:00pm, Thursday 22 December

Who: Daniel Pediaditis, Program Manager – Sustainable Melbourne and Garry Tanner, Chief Marketing and Development Officer, Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation 

Location: Galleria food court, 385 Bourke St, corner of Bourke, Elizabeth and Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000. Enter via the main entrance on Bourke St.

Bookings: Free information session. Food at café prices. No booking required.

Details: Learn about the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation’s new programs in the area of sustainability, such as ‘Support the transition to a low carbon economy’, ‘Build a sustainable food system’, and ‘Protect water ecosystems’. Daniel Pediaditis will also provide advice about how to be more sustainable at Christmas. Affordable lunches can be purchased from neighbouring eateries such as Black Velvet Café, Kebab World, Tao Vietnamese, Menya Ramen, Famish’d, Oli & Levi, Boost, and more.

 

 

 Galleria Christmas Markets

When: 10am – 3pm, Thursdays and Fridays until 16 December

Location: Galleria food court, 385 Bourke St, corner of Bourke, Elizabeth and Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000. Enter via the main entrance on Bourke St.

Details: The Galleria Christmas Markets, produced by Australian Food and Wine, provide the opportunity to buy direct from bespoke southern Australian producers this Christmas, in the convenience of the Melbourne CBD. Melburnians can choose from a selection of artisan Victorian, Tasmanian and South Australian food products, wines and spirits.

A veritable heaven for the discerning foodie, the Galleria Christmas Markets will feature tastings from stallholders throughout the day, and the opportunity to learn food and beverage matching first-hand from the producers. Lunch-break shoppers can snap up gourmet gifts for the hard-to-buy for, flavoursome fillers for Santa stockings or something a little bit special to add to the Christmas day feast. Stallholders include Vantage (Spirit of the Nation), a botanical spirit made with Lemon Myrtle, Tasmanian Mountain Pepper and Australian Mandarin Oil, McHenry Distillery, the award winning southern most distillery in the world, and More than a Mouthful, the delicious range of pasta, sauces and preserves, using traditional Italian family recipes, with each product preservative-free using local Victorian produce. Other stallholders include Pud for All, Australian Spirit Company, Springhill Farm, Whispering Hills, Starward and Grampians Olive Co.

Whether the shopping list consists of pasta and preserves, baked goods and puds, or something for the at-home bar, a quick stop at the Galleria Christmas Markets should do the trick.

 

Information & Image Courtesy of Fuller PR