A Beautiful Day of Carols

With the holiday season right upon us, a number of different activities have been taking place around the city. It's a shame that so many of them have been scheduled for the same nights because it's difficult to choose what to do. However, this evening, I was fortunate enough to be able to enjoy two of them.

Earlier today, I met several friends from Cross Cultures at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, an outdoor music venue in Kings Domain that's near the Royal Botanic Gardens, to watch the Carols by Candlelight rehearsal. Carols by Candlelight is a massive musical event that has been held on Christmas Eve since the late 1930s and features numerous performers who sing various Christmas songs. It's broadcast live not only all across Australia but also to New Zealand, parts of eastern Asia, and certain Pacific Islands. Although

the main event is held on Christmas Eve, the rehearsal that occurs the day before that is open to the public for a fraction of the cost of the actual show. It was a ridiculously hot day, but I had a lot of fun taking part in this wonderful tradition that Melbourne has had for so many years. I'm hoping to catch a little bit of the real event on television tomorrow night or maybe even head down to Federation Square to watch it on the big screen.

After spending several hours at the Sidney Meyer Music Bowl, I said good bye to my friends and took a tram to Carols at Docklands, a Christmas event that Planetshakers hosts every year. Since I had decided to stay at Carols by Candlelight until everyone else left for dinner, I ended up being quite late for Carols at Docklands. It was extremely loud and crowded so I wasn't able to contact the two

friends I had hoped to meet there; however, I was lucky enough to randomly run into two people I knew from the beach barbecue I had attended not too long ago. Carols at Docklands turned out to be a pretty awesome experience, equipped with amazing musical performances, especially "The Prayer," which sent shivers down my spine, and an entertaining fireworks show.

Yes, today was a spectacular day.