Daily Detours for the Week of October 23

Nothing starts a week on a high note quite like a good old fashioned boogie. Especially when you can really let loose, dancing free of inhibition at No Lights No Lycra’s Monday night East Brunswick session. Born in Melbourne and now loved the globe over, this free-form dance class invites punters to sweat and groove in their own style. With the lights dimmed to nix any of self-consciousness that sometimes comes from dancing in front of strangers, expect cranking tunes, a fun, friendly atmosphere and a high-energy workout guaranteed to get your blood pumping.

Dust off your petticoat and get your doublets out of the attic, because London’s historic Globe Theatre has popped up in Melbourne — well, sort of. Pop-Up Globe is the world’s first, full-scale replica of the historic theatre, which was built by Shakespeare’s theatre troop and housed his greatest works. Melbourne’s version has set up shop at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl from September 21 until November 12 this year. Tonight, history buffs have the opportunity to watch Henry V or a special performance titled Around the Globe in 60 Minutes, which details the theatre’s colourful history (it famously burned down in 1613 and was reconstructed a year later).

If you prefer your chicken wings served with a hefty dose of chilli and some good ol’ mouth burn, you’ll find yourself in expert hands at Chinatown’s Crazy Wings. Home to one of Melbourne’s broadest offerings of barbecue chicken wings, this legendary eatery isn’t afraid to turn up the heat — something you’ll discover very quickly when chowing down on its namesake dish. Finger-lickin’ good and seriously spicy, a serve of crazy wings makes for a ripper hump day treat. Head in with your mates to see who’ll reign supreme in a battle of the burn.

Image: Jade Richards-Butler.

If there’s a surefire way to banish any midweek blues, it’s an evening spent belting out classic tunes at the top of your lungs. And that’s exactly the situation that awaits you each Thursday for Little Mess‘ rollicking karaoke night. Head to the cosy Sydney Road bar from 9pm each week to indulge in a therapeutic jam session with your mates, loading up on plenty of endorphins in the process. Entry is free, plus there’s a banging menu of pan-Asian snacks with which to warm up those vocal chords.

There are days when that childhood nostalgia hits especially hard. If it’s one of those Fridays, gather the mates for a night of retro fun at Pixel Alley, Fitzroy’s arcade bar. The latest offering from the team behind Mr Wow’s Emporium, the ’80s-style space has walls covered in original pixelated art, milkshakes of all flavours and retro arcade games aplenty. There are over 100 games to choose from, including classics like Street Fighter, Pac-Man, Daytona and Buck Hunter, so you’ll be sure to find your childhood fave amongst the vast selection. Friday plans, sorted.

If you’re a sucker for all things Halloween, be sure to catch the ultimate fright-night film festival when The Astor Theatre hosts its annual 24-hour Halloween Spooktacular. Kicking off at 2pm today, the hit movie marathon features a whole 24 hours of back-to-back horror screenings with which to scare yourself silly. Grab some popcorn (and someone to cuddle during the really grisly parts) and settle in with films like The Hills Have Eyes on 35mm, A Lizard In A Woman’s Skin, Halloween 2 and The Monster Squad on its 30th anniversary.

This weekend, Prahran Market will host the Say Cheese Festival. For the uninitiated (or those who haven’t attended before), it’s essentially an entire day of eating cheese (and buying even more to eat later), featuring free cheese tastings, cheesy dish demonstrations and stalls from cheese providores. Throughout the day, renowned chefs will take over the kitchen to demonstrate cooking techniques using cheese, including cheese and beverage pairing, Mexican-inspired dishes from Atlas Dining and mozzarella stretching. Other highlights include Noisette’s croque monsieur, mixed-cheese ravioli and Fritz Gelato’s four cheese-inspired gelato flavours. There will also be many, many cheese plates.

Personalise your next adventure via The Playmaker, driven by Mazda3.

By Yelena Bidé and Libby Curran.