Yarra Dog Show & Awards
From 2pm, the annual Yarra Dog Show returns to end the year once again, with great prizes and awards for your best pal up for grabs. Entry is free and features an off-leash area so your dog can spend New Year’s Eve having a ball with the rest of the family. They might even make some other furry friends along the way. Come down and register your beloved doggo from 1pm in one of the seven categories on offer: Best Inner City Hipster(for the latte-sipping, progressive-thinking puppers), Best Older Doggo, Best Trick, Revered Rescue Dog, Best Dressed Doggo, Cutest Puppy and Best Behaviour.
Should your dog win, there are vouchers from Dog Photog, three-night premium dog boarding stays from Dogs Country Club & Kennel Resort, Rufus & Coco dog grooming products and much more ready to be given away. Even if your dog doesn’t quite succeed, each pet will be awarded with a competitor’s ribbon. What a treat.
Dog Photog Photo Booth
From 12pm – 5pm, Dog Photog will be operating a booth for their signature portraiture of your pets. For an adorable and artistic approach to pet photography, find them in the pavilion and register on arrival.
Food
Puppy Tales Rescue
The non-profit organisation, dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and puppies, will be selling Australia’s best (and vegetarian and vegan-friendly) Funky Pies between 12pm and 8pm. The organisation aims to address the way food impacts the environment, us, and the generation after us, so with each pie bought you’ll be addressing a cause that will impact us this New Year and each new year that follows.
Mr Burger
Mr Burger will also be serving up their tasty American-influenced burgers. Take your pick of regular beef burger, spicy, extra meaty, chicken and vege burgers – all made from the best local produce. They also do chips and thirst-quenching milkshakes, so there’s something for everyone.
Oscar the Vintage Coffee Van
Based in Sassafras in the Dandenong Ranges of Melbourne, Oscar serves up specialty coffee and tea from the region, along with a delicious range of cakes, biscuits and doughnuts. With coffee from Yarra Valley coffee roasters Silva Coffee and teas from Tea Leaves of Sassafras and Yarra Valley Tea Co, you can support your local produce while ordering your drinks from the most adorable time capsule- type caravan with its beautiful old-fashioned styling and vintage lights.
Billy Van Creamy
“Just. Real. Ice Cream” is their slogan and that’s what the makers at Billy Van Creamy create by only using the finest quality, natural ingredients to create their delicious ice cream from scratch daily. They’ve just added some new vegan flavours to their range so with options for everyone it’s definitely worth supporting this local Fitzroy business with a passion for our favourite summer treat.
Film
Oddball
At 7.40pm at the garden’s cinema, Yarra Park Life will feature a free screening of the heart-warming film Oddball. The film features an eccentric chicken farmer, who trains his mischievous dog Oddball – with the help of his granddaughter – to protect a penguin sanctuary from fox attacks in an attempt to reunite his family and save their seaside town. The film is rated PG and fun for the whole family.
Hidden Figures
For the adults, the highly-acclaimed Academy Award-winning film Hidden Figures will be screened at the gardens from 9.45pm. The film follows three female, African-American mathematicians who provide crucial calculations for NASA’s space race against the Soviets. Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, and Jim Parsons co-star in what critics describe as one of the best films of 2017. It’s a great one for the whole family to settle down to after the city’s 9.30pm fireworks display.
Fireworks
What is a New Year’s celebration without a fireworks display? And the best part is, after all the day’s fun you’ll be able to view the city fireworks at 9.30pm and at midnight from your picnic blanket in Yarra’s finest, heritage-listed park. The fireworks display is always a memorable experience so rather than struggling to decide on the best spot to see them and where to find parking and what tram to get so not to be trampled by the NYE crowds, head down to Yarra Park Life early and have your place already secured all evening.
