Rochester’s events calendar has been fully booked this month, with more to come this weekend.
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The week kicked off with momentum as the Rochester Mural Festival artists began painting their murals on Sunday, March 22, following the Meet the Artists dinner the night before.
The month of madness will end on a high note this week, with plenty happening in town to keep locals and visitors entertained.
Tuesday, March 24
Creative Seeds workshop, Rochester Heritage Courthouse, 1pm to 3pm
Self-taught oil landscape artist Lynnette Randell will be hosting a workshop as part of the Creative Seeds group.
Participants will have the chance to experiment with oils on a black canvas to create their own northern lights painting.
At $35 per person, the workshop will include all necessary materials, entry to the Creative Seeds Exhibition and Devonshire tea.
Wednesday, March 25
Creative Seeds workshop, Rochester Heritage Courthouse, 10am to noon
Participants will explore the world of teabag art with local artist Liz Dellar, who has been dabbling in the space for two years.
The workshop will reuse, repurpose and upcycle teabags to create a greeting card and matching envelope before using the rest of the teabags in another activity.
The workshop is $30 per person, which will include all necessary materials, entry to the Creative Seeds Exhibition and Devonshire tea.
Ripple Fest workshop, Rochester Shire Hall, 10.30am to 4pm
Join Sonya Else and Ellen Lee for hands-on workshops inspired by ‘The Power of Small Moments’.
The collaborative artworks will later be installed at the Skate Park on Saturday, March 28.
Thursday, March 26
Creative Seeds workshop, Rochester Heritage Courthouse, 4pm to 6pm
Nanneella local Greta invites guests to explore their creativity through her ‘Abstract Oil Pastels’ workshop.
The session encourages participants to play with colour in a relaxed environment.
Entry is $35 per person and includes all necessary materials, entry to the Creative Seeds Exhibition and Devonshire tea.
Ripple Fest workshop, Rochester Shire Hall, 10.30am to 4pm
Join Sonya Else and Ellen Lee for hands-on workshops inspired by ‘The Power of Small Moments’.
The collaborative artworks will later be installed at the Skate Park on Saturday, March 28.
Friday, March 27
Rochester Mural Festival, Mural Park, 7.30am to 9.30am
Community members are invited to grab a coffee and watch the Mural Festival artists work on the final day of the festival.
Ripple Fest workshop, Rochester Shire Hall, 10.30am to 4pm
Join Sonya Else and Ellen Lee for hands-on workshops inspired by ‘The Power of Small Moments’.
The collaborative artworks will later be installed at the Skate Park on Saturday, March 28.
Creative Seeds workshop, Rochester Heritage Courthouse, 2.30pm to 5pm
Artist and retired art teacher Shaz will lead the ‘Buttons, Beads and Jewellery Craft’ workshop.
Shaz is a lover of recycled crafts, and participants will reuse colourful buttons, beads and jewellery to create artworks.
The workshop is $45 per person, which will include all necessary materials, entry to the Creative Seeds Exhibition and Devonshire tea.
Sip ’N’ Roll, Rochester Bowls Club, 4.30pm to 7.30pm
Guests are invited to enjoy a relaxed afternoon of live music by ‘Probably Guilty’ and barefoot bowls.
Live music and $2 Bourbons, The Rochester Hotel, 8pm
With a line-up of live music and $2 bourbons on offer, community members and visitors can start the weekend strong.
Saturday, March 28
Rochester Town Market, Rochester Skate Park, 9am to 1pm
The Rochester Town Market will make its return on Saturday, with plenty of stalls to explore.
The market will feature handmade goods, local produce and a range of trinkets.
Rochester Motorcycle Display, Rochester Motorcycles, 9am to 1pm
Motorcycles will roar into town on Saturday morning and set up shop at the Rochester Motorcycles store.
Guests are invited to take a closer look at the large display of pre-2000 motorcycles.
Creative Seeds exhibition, Rochester Heritage Courthouse, 10am to 4pm
A collection of local art and creative works will be on display in the courthouse.
Creative Seeds workshop, Rochester Heritage Courthouse, 10.30am to 1pm
Through this Macramé workshop, participants will work with textile artist Bree Herne to make their own plant or tea light holders.
Ms Herne fell in love with the creativity of macramé knots through a workshop, and hopes to provide others with the same experience.
The workshop is $60 per person, which will include all necessary materials, entry to the Creative Seeds Exhibition and Devonshire tea.
Rochester Mural Festival presentation, Mural Park, 11am
Judging of the completed mural artworks will take place before the festival winners are announced.
The Mega Raffle will also be drawn on the day.
Live music, various venues, 11am to late
A range of live music acts will set up around town to provide entertainment as visitors explore shops and walk through the streets.
Ripple Fest activations, Rochester Skate Park, 12.30pm to 5.30pm
The skate park will come alive with live music by Jam in the Van and Dj Colby, as artist Retayner carries out street art demonstrations.
The collaborative pieces created at the Ripple Fest workshops during the week will also be on display.
Sips and Sounds, various venues, 1pm
Running throughout the town centre, Sips and Sounds is a chance for locals and visitors to explore businesses and try products from local wineries and distilleries.
There will also be plenty for kids to do, including the Bendigo Bubble Man at Wirrima Park from 1pm to 4pm, face painting in front of Ray White from 2pm to 6pm and Kids Karaoke at Rotunda Park from 4pm to 6pm.
From 4pm to late, Rocky & Co will set up down Iddles Lane with bungee trampolines for kids, and pizza available for purchase.
Sunday, March 28
Live music, The Rochester Hotel, 3pm to 5pm
After a busy weekend, guests are invited to the hotel on Sunday afternoon to enjoy a drink and food, as Billie Aitken-McGregor performs.