For Melbourne Festival Art and Architecture Trail 2009 we had more than 40 private houses, public halls and churches hosting visiting artists. For 2010, the full list of available properties is not yet confirmed, but last year The Dower House, Castle House, The Hollow and many others houses hosted artists, none of which are normally open to the public. In these houses and halls professional artists and craftsmen and women will be exhibiting alongside good amateurs and local schools and art groups. All of the work is original, for sale and the artist and craftsman or woman will stand alongside it and many will demonstrate their skills. There will be paintings, photography, pottery, sculpture and jewellery - in fact something for every taste and pocket. We always like to include a variety of special activities over the Trail weekend in 2010 Trail visitors will be able to join the 1623 Shakespeare Company for an Olympic Shakespeare Workout – Aerobics but not as we know it!

Prior to the 2009 Melbourne Festival a number of local professional artists joined together to form Artists @ Arts Melbourne they will have had a number of group exhibition in the past year and will feature on the Trail in 2010. The group includes Victoria Brown, Laura Donaldson, Mick Lakin, Cheryl Wilbraham, Liz O’Connor, Tim Cole and Jayne Wright to name but a few.

As in previous years, food will be in various locations around the Trail including Castle House, Bill Shone Leisure Centre, Melbourne Senior Citizen Centre and numerous restaurants and pubs in the centre of the village, local charities will also be providing refreshments. For those visitors with restricted mobility we are planning an Easy Access Trail highlighting properties which can easily be visited.

Children will be specially catered for with a special, safe area for young children with plenty to amuse them at Scallywags Private Day Nursery in Castle Street, there will be pottery demonstrations, an Art Exhibition showing work from the local schools.

The Festival of Performing Arts has become more adventurous and more successful each year selling over 1500 seats in 2009!This year promises to be even better with a full programme for every taste. For details of this year’s concerts and performances please visit the concerts webpage.