Although I'm not a Buddhist (my religion is actually Christianity) I absolutely love attending Buddha's Birthday Festival at Southbank Parklands each & every year. A three day extravaganza of multicultural parades, Tai Chi workshops, Asian dancing & martial arts, tea drinking & meditation, vegetarian food markets, dragonboat racing, fireworks & of course, Buddha Bathing in either the Suncorp Piazza or Lumbini Garden among the divine sculptures of the Buddha & his acolytes, it truly adheres to the Buddhist tenets of "Think Good Thoughts, Say Good Words, Do Good Deeds" with the joy it spreads throughout the community.
This year, I was fortunate enough to attend the festival twice - once on Friday night with my friend Fionnula (who had never been before) after New York style burgers, fries & milkshakes at Brooklyn Depot & again on Sunday morning with my parents followed by lunch & Sake cocktails at San Kai Japanese restaurant.
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Dress: Anthea Crawford embroidered mesh, lace trim
Sandals: Wittner laser cut leather
Bag: Urban Originals vinyl with silver hardware
Hinged Bangle: Precious Stones Jewellers silver
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On Friday night, I dressed up in a gorgeous tulip embroidered mesh midi dress with ruffled hemline & lace trim from Anthea Crawford (seriously becoming the most-worn & best-loved item in my closet this autumn/winter season), black laser cut leather heeled sandals from Wittner to elongate my frame while remaining comfortable, black vinyl crossbody bag with silver hardware from Urban Originals (via TK Maxx) to carry all the essentials while keeping my hands free to partake in all that the festival has to offer... including a sneaky cinnamon langos for dessert by the mighty Brisbane River... & finally, a chunky silver art deco "wave" hinged bangle from Precious Stones Jewellers to complete the look & add a little boho flair.
Scroll down to see more snippets from the evening...
Lumbini Garden
Buddha Bathing & Thanksgiving Service
Wheel of Brisbane
Reliving my childhood with a fairy-lit helium balloon by the side of the river...
It's interesting to note here that although I'm smiling, I'm actually thinking about NOT falling into the water, due to my inherent clumsiness...
Cinnamon Langos
The best way to describe it would be almost like a pocket-bread-turned-pizza that's covered in sugar & cinnamon.
