Phew! It’s been a massive year. The Plus Ones assessed 10,000 events, picked out the best 750 for our curated calendar and attended over 400. The year saw us go to everything from launch parties to fetish parties. We dressed up in golf attire and played a golf course made of Collingwood’s laneways; we ventured out to Werribee for horse racing and all over town for film festivals; we ate and drank at some of the best new places in the city.
But few events went above and beyond, lingering in our memories long after our reviews went live. Here are our favourite events of 2014:
Full Moon Fetish Party
It was one of those parties that you walk into with your eyes wide shut. We had no idea what to expect, but sometimes this is a good thing. Try something new, meet people outside your circle, push yourself are common phrases at The Plus Ones. So what was it like? The champagne and cupcakes were in abundance. As were the topless male waiters… We can’t wait for Passionfruit‘s next one! -Ruki & Theresa
Theresa’s favourite topless waiter at the Full Moon Fetish party
Bodytorque DNA
I am a notorious sampler. I tend to prefer having small bits of five things versus the full version of one thing. Bodytorque, my first ballet experience, served up just that. Five short performances from five different choreographers, each to a different theme. It was a great way to experience the ballet arts and I hope the Australian Ballet serves up more of them! -Ruki
Jarryd Madden & Jasmin Durham in Richard House’s Control – photo courtesy Jeff Busby
National Celtic Festival
Now, I’ve been a fan of Celtic music for years (Riverdance, anyone?), but this blew me away. Driving down to the Bellarine Peninsula, we discovered the tiny town of Portarlington was entirely taken over by the fest. My +1 and I raced from marquees to churches to halls, seeing Welsh Male Voice Choirs and performers visiting from Canada. The calibre of the music was outstanding; the location, perfect. I hope to make a weekend of it in 2015. -Theresa
Theresa at the National Celtic Festival
Krimper Launch
This had everything: gorgeous people, free-flowing drinks, amazing food. Just another night for The Plus Ones, right? Well, the Larger Than Life events team pulled out all the stops. Instead of the ubiquitous Instagram photo-printing, they projected your portrait onto a giant screen, which you could digitally doodle on (somewhat inappropriately, if you’re me) and then print. The dancefloor lit up. And there was an entire booth devoted to cheese. I want every night to be one where I eat gold leaf. -Theresa
Gold leaf alert – photo courtesy Karon Photography
Oktoberfest in the Gardens
The location made this event a massive success. It was basically an all-day music festival atop the grassy Birrarung Marr knoll with the Melbourne skyline as a backdrop. It must rank as one of Melbourne’s best views and the Nokturnl Events team made sure that the setup was designed for fun. Just two questions: Who knew so many Melburnians own lederhosen and dirndls? And where can we buy some? -Ruki
Prost! – photo courtesy Oktoberfest in the Gardens
In 2015, The Plus Ones will be bigger and better. Follow along on our journey (on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook) as we seek out amazing, unusual, and memorable events in Melbourne and beyond. In the meantime, thanks to all of you who made 2014 a year to remember!
-Ruki & Theresa
