Moomba

Moomba is an annual festival in the city of Melbourne, Australia and one of the largest and longest running festivals in Australia. Moomba is celebrated during the Labour Day long weekend (over four days, from Friday to the second Monday in March), and has been celebrated since 1955. In 2003, the event was renamed Melbourne Moomba Waterfest. It is a family festival run by the City of Melbourne Council.

Origins

In 1951, Australia celebrated fifty years of Federation with a parade and the staging of the theatre production "An Aboriginal Moomba: Out of the Dark". The following year, the final Labour Day procession was held in Melbourne. In 1954, Queen Elizabeth II visited the city in her first appearance as reigning monarch and the City Development Association and the Melbourne City Council proposed the Moomba Festival. The first festival was officially opened in 1955.

Events

Parade and floats

Moomba procession, 1955

Floats through the streets of Melbourne have been a key part of the Moomba festival since its beginning. The floats have an annual theme, usually an elaboration on "Let's get together and have fun", the avowed mission and vision statement of Moomba. The floats are usually from sister cities (of which Melbourne has six), schools and community groups. They also promote some aspect of the arts, like singing, dancing, or design. Swanston Street is the traditional home of the floats and spine of the city and horse or tractor-draw-floats use the tram tracks. Decorated trams are sometimes also featured.

The first Moomba parade was televised in 1957, the year after the Melbourne 1956 Olympics.

In 2001, the floats came under controversy when some contained representations of nude people.

Moomba monarchs

"The Moomba monarchy has been one of the most celebrated and controversial components of the festival over the years."^[1]

1. Queen of Moomba (1955-1987) from Beverley Stewart to Marita Jones.^[2] Won by a beauty pageant competition.
2. Queen of the Pacific (1967-1977) from Betty Lim Saw Yim (as Princess of Malaysia) to Lei Maa (Princess of Hawaii).^[2]
3. King of Moomba (1967-1987): British actor Robert Morley (1967), British actor Alfred Marks (1968), Italian opera singer Tito Gobbi (1969), featherweight boxing champion Johnny Famechon (1970), Russian clown Oleg Popov (1971), pop singer Johnny Farnham (1972) with Collingwood footballer Lou Richards as his Jester, indigenous Pastor Sir Douglas Nicholls (1973), ballet dancer Sir Robert Helpmann (1974), entertainer Rolf Harris (1975), entertainer Barry Crocker (1976), Disney character Mickey Mouse as King of Moomba and TV Personality Ugly Dave Gray as a Jester (1977), first Melbourne born king, entertainer Bert Newton (1978), entertainer Graham Kennedy (1979), TV actor Paul Cronin (1980), Richards again but this time as King (1981), film, TV and stage actor Frank Thring (1982), TV Personality Daryl Somers (1983), footballer Kevin Bartlett (1984), TV Personality Ian "Molly" Meldrum (1985), motor racing driver Peter Brock (1986) and champion doubles tennis player Paul McNamee (1987).^[1] Another source lists Gobbi (1968), Marks (1969) and Richards as Jester (1971).^[2]
4. Moomba Monarch (1988-1999): Jo Pearson, Con the Fruiterer, David Hanison, Tony Shaw, Don Dunstan, The Oarsome Foursome, Andrew Gaze, Cathy Freeman, Marina Prior, Lano and Woodley, and Denise Drysdale.^[2]Female Monarchs were also called Queen of Moomba and male Monarchs were called King of Moomba. In 1999 the tradition ended when clowns Zig and Zag were appointed. After it was revealed that, years before, Zig alias John Perry had pleaded guilty to child molestation they were dethroned.
5. Young Ambassador (2003-present): Carrie Stoney, Sam Quinn, Alan Wu, Natalie Bassingthwaighte.^[2] 2007: Trisha Broadbridge.^[3]

Fireworks

Fireworks are a big part of the Moomba festival and large displays occur on the opening and closing nights of the festival.

Carnival

A traditional carnival including Ferris wheel are held in the Alexandra Gardens along the river bank. In recent years, the carnival has extended to Birrarung Marr across the river. It is popular with children, and dagwood dogs and doughnut stands line the paths.

Bands

Moomba's performers have included acts such as ABBA, Neil Diamond and AC/DC.

River activities

Moomba is somewhat a paradox in that it celebrates the Yarra River, a river that has been much maligned in the history of the city until the last few decades.

Waterskiing

Water skiing in the Yarra was introduced to Moomba in 1961.

River Floats

The festival has featured Chinese Dragon Boats and the Moomba Showboat.

Birdman rally

Among the more popular Birdmen event, the Birdman Rally, which traditionally adds colour to the festival and is traditionally held at the Swan Street bridge, a location that also featured in the 2006 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony as part of the Queens Baton Relay.

Beginning in 1976, the infamous Birdman event has been run on and off during Moomba's history.

More recently the event was stopped due to high levels of ecoli contamination of the Yarra.

2004 saw the return of the famous Birdman Rally to Melbourne Docklands.

Subsequent cleanups reduced pollution to acceptable levels and in 2005, the rally was held close to its traditional location in the new inner city park, Birrarung Marr.